CaféNET Case Study
THE BUSINESS - Caffe L'affare, College Street, Wellington
The Opportunity
There is a trend worldwide for cafes to provide Internet access to customers, and Caffe L'affare had been looking at ways in which they could offer the same service. But using the cafe's own network was going to create security issues...
The CityLink Solution - CaféNET
Zeke Alley, Caffe L'affare's IT manager, had read about CityLink's CaféNET service in Computerworld magazine - and thought it seemed an ideal solution.
CaféNET gives people with Wi-Fi-enabled laptops access to the Internet via CityLink's Metropolitan Ethernet Optical Fibre LAN. Users get all the benefits of broadband without being tied to the office.
The CaféNET service is simple to use and fast - users can currently get speeds of around 6Mbit/s. Users can buy one token - 70MB of chargeable traffic - for $20, or five tokens for $80.
By being configured for different variants of the 802.11 wireless standard, CaféNET makes smart use of popular open standards. CaféNET is a fully open network, so users need to establish a personal firewall - a straightforward process. For security, email over CaféNET is picked up via POP3 or IMAP.
The Implementation
Being in College Street, Caffe L'affare is on the very edge of the CityLink fibre-optic network, which covers Wellington's CBD, so there was a possibility that CaféNET might not work for the cafe. However, it turned out that the print firm next door was connected to the network, and the building's owner gave permission to run a wire to the cafe.
There was one slight hitch when the next-door building was sold. Caffe L'affare was in the middle of demonstrating their brand new CaféNET service, when somebody, seeing the building was empty, decided to switch off the power.
The Benefits
Before CaféNET, L'affare staff had noticed customers connecting to the Internet via their cellphones - a slow and comparatively expensive way of doing it. Now, if the cafe notices a customer with a laptop, they give them a CaféNET information pack.
"Caffe L'affare's a big cafe with plenty of room," says Zeke. "So you can spread out here in the less busy times and work away. It's perfect for visitors from out of town, or for people who spend a lot of time out of the office, like real estate agents, for example. To us, it's just another customer service. If you need a break or a temporary work space, come to Caffe L'affare and connect to CaféNET."
The solution @ a glance - CaféNET
- Wireless access to the Internet via CityLink's Metropolitan Ethernet Optical Fibre LAN.
- Currently available in over three dozen locations in Wellington (for a full list go to www.cafenet.co.nz)
- CityLink takes full responsibility for installation and network. A location that wishes to offer CaféNET service pays one-off set fee.
- Simple to use. Users buy tokens online.
- Fast. Users can currently get speeds of around 6Mbit/s.
- Uses open standards - configured for different variants of the 802.11 wireless standard
- A fully open network. For security, email over CaféNET is picked up via POP3 or IMAP.
About CityLink:
CityLink are Wellington's serious broadband innovators. Right now, CityLink's Metropolitan Ethernet Optical Fibre LAN connects more than 400 buildings, with speeds from 10Mbps to 1Gbps, giving the city a competitive edge in the new digital economy.
And CityLink is more than a smart network - we also provide smart services:
Provides 802.11 public wireless broadband access in cafes and public places for those who need to work on the move.
Wellington Internet eXchange
CityLink operates this fully distributed open IX that enables entirely digital workflows.
Commverge
A groundbreaking new system that uses Internet-based technology to bring smaller businesses the kind of customised, state-of- the-art communication services usually only available to large corporates.
And we're bringing in new services and applications all the time. So when digital commerce is global and seamless, Wellington will have exactly the smart foundation it needs.
To find out more:
Download this Case Study (PDF 600kb)