Macau resort goes Extreme

By FM Monteverde

Created 10/02/2011 - 9:10am

By Stefan Hammond | Feb 10, 2011

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Challenge: Reliable connectivity, mobility and convergence at Macau resort

Tech: Ethernet network, wired and wireless LAN

Benefit: Performance, extensibility and manageability, plus Wi-Fi phones

 

US-based Extreme Networks last month announced that Galaxy Entertainment Group has selected its high performance Ethernet network to provide reliable connectivity, mobility and convergence at Galaxy Macau on Cotai. The resort, with over 2,200 rooms and suites, will make its debut in 2011.

 

According to Wikipedia, Galaxy Entertainment Group is "an investment holding company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that owns and operates hotels and casinos in Macau through its subsidiary, Galaxy Casino S.A." The company owns the StarWorld Hotel and Casino on the Macau Peninsula, and four CityClub casinos, including the Grand Waldo Hotel on the Cotai Strip.

 

"Galaxy Casino S.A. was granted a gaming concession from the Macau Government in 2002 in Asia's booming gaming city. Galaxy carefully designed its growth strategy to meet current and future market developments in a city undergoing an evolution," said the firm on its Web site. The Galaxy Macau is its latest and most ambitious project, and the first slated to open on the Cotai Strip since construction halted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. According to the Macau Post Daily newspaper, Hong Kong-listed Galaxy Entertainment Group is controlled by the family of building materials tycoon Lui Che Woo. The MPD also reported that Galaxy Macau would cost HK$14.9 billion (US$1.92 billion).

 

Harmonious connectivity

The technology, network and communications for the Galaxy Macau are planned in harmony with guest convenience, seamless connectivity and a marvelous experience, said Extreme in a statement. Extreme Networks provides converged Ethernet network infrastructure that support data, voice and video for enterprise and service providers, according to their Web site.

 

"We have designed all aspects of the Galaxy Macau to raise the standard of service, luxury, and entertainment for our guests, delivering a second-to-none experience with world class technology being a part of a remarkable environment," said Ian Farnsworth (pictured), director of IS&T of Galaxy Entertainment Group. "A critical component of the customer experience is the IT infrastructure being built to serve the resort, and for this we have chosen world-class partners to help us design and deploy that infrastructure," continued Farnsworth. "Extreme Networks has demonstrated superb performance, extensibility and manageability, and with these attributes, we can ensure the highest standard of network availability and convenience for our guests.

 

Wireless hotspots

"We also required a smooth service transition between static and mobile systems and devices to enable our guests to stay fully connected and our customer service experience to be well maintained, regardless of the method of connection to the infrastructure," said Farnsworth. "As we plan to deploy Wi-Fi phones across our hotel and casino environment, we look for quality assurance on wireless devices. Extreme Networks [8] wired and wireless LAN solutions allow for facility-wide mobility while maintaining enterprise-class security and Quality of Service.

 

"By building the best hotel and casino network in the industry, we can offer a world-class and highly immersive guest experience with full confidence in the wired and wireless network throughout our facility," concluded Farnsworth. "I look forward to elevating the standard for technology and service in the resort industry."

 

Extreme bullish on new Galaxy resort

"We are delighted to partner with Galaxy Entertainment Group as they build a marquee facility delivering a world class client experience," said Paul Hooper, chief marketing officer of Extreme Networks. "With powerful and native 'awareness' integrated into our network solution, the ability to identify, personalize and react at an individual level will allow a richer and more intimate experience throughout Galaxy Macau."

 

"We're proud of being selected by Galaxy Entertainment Group as its networking vendor to execute its Data Networking Infrastructure (DNI) Project for its resort at Cotai, Macau," said Wilson Ching, country manager for Hong Kong and Macau. "We leveraged our strong expertise and experience in the gaming industry in Macau and our differentiated wired and wireless offerings, which provide extensibility, manageability and reliability, to win the customer's confidence. We're extremely confident we can build a very successful showcase for such a sizeable voice over Wi-Fi network for the complex in Asia Pacific.'

 

Ching added his firm "worked with a strong local partner, CTM [9], who can deliver a competent and committed SLA for the anticipated high demands for Galaxy Macau, in order to successfully win this project."