Uptown Consortium Contracts with IBM On Feasibility Study for Enhanced Digital Communications

18 April 2005, Cincinnati

Contact:  Joe Shields, 271.7222 x10; 403-7222

Cincinnnati's Uptown Consortium announced today that it has teamed with IBM to explore the feasibility of comprehensive wireless, broadband, voice and data services to enhance digital communications throughout Cincinnati's Uptown region.

The Uptown Wireless Project would create a leading-edge communications environment where residents, employees and visitors to Uptown would travel seamlessly and securely through a world-class digital connectivity system. System members would use whatever digital devices they choose - including Treo@, Blackberry@, laptop, PDA and cell phone - but would remain connected as they move within and beyond the region. The system would replace the myriad devices, separate access methods, protocols and financial plans that currently exist.

The Uptown Consortium was formed by Uptown's five largest employers - the University of Cincinnati, The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, TriHealth, Inc., and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Combined, Consortium members employ nearly 50,000, have a payroll of $1.4 billion and an annual economic impact of more than $3 billion. The Consortium's mission is to improve the human, social, economic and physical aspects of Uptown Cincinnati, and is focusing its efforts in public safety, transportation, housing, economic development and neighborhood services for Uptown residents, employees, students, and visitors.

The Uptown Wireless Project is the first wireless broadband project where IBM will seek to mesh private and public sector organizations to share advanced broadband communications. The goal for such a communications environment is to deliver critical wireless data and voice services for advanced connectivity, collaboration and economic opportunities.

Under the terms of the program, the University of Cincinnati will manage the project on behalf of the Consortium. IBM will conduct an environmental review through interviews with Consortium and community members as well as equipment manufacturers and Internet and network services providers. IBM analysts and the university project team will develop a high-level design for building a network to support the mobility of voice and data services. The analysis IBM will provide includes the business and technical models that would establish the financial viability and technical architecture of a connectivity grid.

"Integrating data and voice communications technologies that are varied and disparate not just in technology base, but in providers and funding models, is one of the greatest contemporary challenges faced by universities," said Frederick H. Siff, vice president and CIO at the University of Cincinnati. "Service offerings and associated funding models are being rendered obsolete by not only the advances in wireless data and telephony, but by the proliferation of independent providers and differentiated offerings."

The Uptown Consortium will decide how to proceed once IBM presents the study findings. The findings will be available in June 2005.