In the aftermath of the Kentucky floods, Rajant Corporation, a wireless mesh networking OEM, sprang into action to assist Accelecom, a statewide Kentucky ISP fiber provider with wireless WAN and public-access WiFi, to aid both flood victim emergency communications and “last mile” connectivity for rural towns.
With cell service spotty and WiFi nonexistent, the partnership brought outdoor WiFi to the campuses of health centers in hard-hit Eastern Kentucky. Further, the first deployment of a “Main Street Mesh” solution connecting Harrison County’s courthouse to Cynthiana’s city hall is underway as the two entities integrate networking options to enable rural broadband. Also playing a role in the deployment is Eastern Telephone & Technology.
The floods occurred just days after Rajant and Accelecom agreed to work together to provide wireless WAN and public WiFi between government buildings. The Kentucky Center for Rural Development also played a role in connecting Eastern Kentucky health departments to the Accelecom network with WiFi zones at the centers, according to Kathryn Robertson, Accelecom’s Director of Business Development.
“Rajant mobilized with technology, staffing, and financial support within the first 24 hours of the catastrophic flooding,” stated Justin Warren, Rajant Sales Director for Rural Broadband. “As a natural extension of the work we are now doing with Accelecom and Eastern Telephone & Technology, we were ready to step up to meet the emergency communication needs Kentucky is facing.”
To get area health centers up and running with outdoor connectivity, Rajant deployed its BreadCrumb multi-frequency radio nodes with integrated WiFi access point service for communications with laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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