FairPoint Communications has successfully completed a complex network project at Mount Washington Observatory, bringing faster and more reliable Internet, phone and video conferencing services to the nonprofit research and educational institution operating on New Englands highest peak.
Mount Washington Observatory, whose mission is to advance understanding of earths weather and climate, had been using several different carriers for telecommunications services before contracting with FairPoint, and wished to consolidate. FairPoint was able to meet all of Mount Washington Observatorys service needs at the remote summit location, the North Conway Weather Discovery Center (an interactive science museum), as well as its video conference link with the ConnectNH program at the University of New Hampshire in Durham - while actually improving the Observatorys existing network and saving money at the same time.
Our telecom system is incredibly intricate, but FairPoints team took the time to carefully map out the entire infrastructure, said Mount Washington Observatorys chief financial officer, Gary Plant. FairPoint worked to really understand our specific needs, and how the technology could be improved to handle those needs. They delivered cost-effective, reliable, higher bandwidth services and traveled to the top of New England to make it happen.
Plant added that, before FairPoint re-configured the system, the Observatory faced challenges from its wireless microwave connection to the summit. Connections could be lost or slowed considerably due to inclement weather and/or not enough bandwidth at peak user times.
An important element of the Mount Washington Observatory is its distance learning program which enables schools, museums, and libraries anywhere in the world to go live to the summit and learn about climate and weather through compatible video conferencing equipment.
Our videoconferencing program is an essential part of our educational mission and a critical source of revenue, says Plant. Thanks to FairPoints expertise and services, the program is stronger and more reliable than ever. It is quite a feat to be able to illustrate to various groups of students whats going on at the top of the highest summit in New England.
Over the span of eight months, FairPoint crews battled inclement weather on the summit and traveled to North Conway and Durham to install a 10 megabit Ethernet Local Area Network (E-LAN) service, 10 megabit Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access (EDIA) service, and high capacity Ethernet data circuits, along with voice services. FairPoint delivered these services over its resilient IP-based network, completing the work just before Mt. Washington Auto Road closed for the winter.
FairPoint consistently proves its technology can meet the needs of customers throughout northern New England from urban areas to rural homes and businesses and even to the top of Mt. Washington, said Patrick McHugh, FairPoints New Hampshire state president. The success of this project is a testament to the dedication of our employees who excelled in so many ways.
About FairPoint Communications, Inc.
FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NasdaqCM: FRP) is a leading communications provider of broadband Internet access, local and long-distance phone, television and other high-capacity data services to customers in communities across 18 states. Through its fast, reliable fiber network, FairPoint delivers high-quality data and voice networking communications solutions to residential, business and wholesale customers. FairPoint delivers VantagePointSM services through its resilient IP-based network in northern New England. This state-of-the-art fiber network provides carrier Ethernet connections to support the surging bandwidth and performance requirements for cloud-based applications like network storage, disaster recovery, distance learning, medical imaging, video conferencing and CAD/CAM along with traditional voice, VoIP, video and Internet access solutions. Additional information about FairPoint products and services is available at www.FairPoint.com. You can also connect with FairPoint on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/fairpoint) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/myfairpoint).
About Mount Washington Observatory
Located within Mt. Washington State Park, Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported research and educational institution with a mission to advance understanding of Earths weather and climate. Since 1932, the Observatory has been observing Mount Washingtons incredible extremes, conducting scientific research, educating the public about the science of weather and climate, and amassing one of North Americas longest and most unique climate records. For weather reports, webcams, summit trips, photos and more, visit MountWashington.org.
Manchester, NH (January 30, 2012) FairPoint Communications