CASE STUDY
View from a high site before the fire
View from the same client on the day of the fire
Fire damage to operational equipment
SEAMLESS AND UNINTERRUPTED
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY MEANT THAT
THE MUNICIPALITY WAS INDEED ABLE
TO PROVIDE ITS RELIEF EFFORTS.
emergency information via social media and
website updates.
Alan Otto, COO of Lasernet, said: “Clients
in South Africa are normally wary of using
wireless connectivity for mission critical
applications because of their past experience
when using other brands, especially in adverse
weather conditions and natural disasters.
However, InfiNet Wireless changed all that.
“We take great pleasure in being able to share
with everyone in Knysna that even in the
58
INTELLIGENTCIO
thick cloud of smoke and intense heat given
off by the fires, the InfiNet links remained
unaffected throughout the ordeal.” We asked
Alan Otto further questions about the system.
In the past why have clients in
South Africa been wary about using
wireless connectivity for mission
critical applications?
Traditionally, wireless connectivity was
a cheap solution with quick and easy
deployment. This resulted in a proliferation
of devices being installed. The noise
and interference generated resulted in
instability for end user clients and became
a last resort or temporary solution while
alternate microwave, licensed band or fibre
were on order.
What was the extent of the fire
damage to Knysa?
A total of 16000Ha of forest was destroyed,
1600 houses were affected with 900 of them
completely destroyed.
Had the InfiNet Wireless Solution
stopped working what would the
consequences have been for Knysa?
Communications and informative web access
would have been impacted. The cell phone
towers had varying degrees of operation
due to power outages and possible backhaul
www.intelligentcio.com