GARLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When Mall of America decided it was time to offer free Wi-Fi for its 40 million annual guests, it turned to AmpThink to design, build and manage the high density wireless network.
“AmpThink has been a key partner in facilitating the connected experience for our guests at Mall of America,” said Jill Renslow, SVP of Marketing and Business Development at Mall of America. “Their industry experience and relationships were instrumental for our Wi-Fi installation, and we look forward to additional growth in innovation and a continued partnership with their team.”
The new Wi-Fi network has proven very popular with Mall guests. To date the network has supported 319,995 unique users and 793,750 total wireless sessions while handling more than 486 terabytes of data traffic. This volume of traffic exceeds the total amount of the last 5 Super Bowls, combined. Guests that use Wi-Fi are lingering 3.5 hours per Mall visit.
The Mall of America footprint covers 5.6 million square feet. Its Wi-Fi network required more than 600 access points, 236,600 feet of CAT6 cable, and 7,920 feet of fiber optic cable to build.
“The Wi-Fi network we built for the Mall is not just big, but complex,” says Bill Anderson, President of AmpThink. “Our Radio Frequency engineers were challenged to develop new methods to calibrate frequencies in order to optimize performance for shoppers as they move in a massive space that has four distinct shopping levels and a large administrative level.”
The AmpThink designed network is running on Cisco hardware. Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) enabled the Mall to use location data for customer engagement and analytic insights. In addition, AmpThink also deployed Cisco’s Stadium Vision solution inside the Mall. Stadium Vision is an innovative video and digital content distribution solution that allows the Mall to centrally manage and target delivery of customized video, sponsor promotions, and relevant event information to any combination of monitors throughout the Mall.
About AmpThink
AmpThink is an elite team of mobility pros with deep experience in designing, building and operating HD Wi-Fi networks in large-scale, public spaces. Our longstanding clients include international wireless carriers, multi-billion-dollar equipment manufacturers, global stadium operations companies, major retail brands and warehousing operations, and dozens of professional and college sports teams. In sports we have delivered over 40 Wi-Fi networking projects across the U.S. and Canada in the past four years, more than any other Wi-Fi firm in the industry. AmpThink also develops software solutions, creates custom enclosures and manufactures copper and fiber optic cable for its own projects and for resale.
For more information go to www.ampthink.com.
About Mall of America®
Mall of America (MOA) is the largest retail and entertainment complex in North America. At 5.6 million square feet, MOA is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Nickelodeon Universe, the nation’s largest indoor family theme park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, a 1.3 million gallon walk-through aquarium; Hard Rock Café; Moose Mountain Adventure Golf; Theatres at Mall of America, a 14-screen movie theater with digital projection including 4K, digital sound and 3D capabilities; Radisson Blu Mall of America, a 500-room hotel connected by skyway to Mall of America. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Mall is currently undergoing a $325 million expansion project on all three levels on the north side. The expansion will include a 342-room JW Marriott hotel, office tower, high-end retailers, new dining options, a tourist welcome center and large event space. Follow Mall of America on Facebook and Twitter or visit our blog.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
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