America's Cup Selects Sierra Wireless for Wireless Data
Communications
NOVEMBER 2, 1999
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA--Racing data via cellular modem gives TV,
Internet users a new event perspective
Wireless IT '99-Sierra Wireless (TSE: SW) announced today that for
the first time in the America's Cup's 149-year history, Internet
and TV sports fans worldwide can see the entire racing fleet at a
glance by using wireless data communications. Using Sierra
Wireless' MP200 ruggedized wireless data modem which is used
aboard each competing boat and marker buoy, racing data are
translated into real-time animated graphics to give viewers a
complete look at the entire competitive field, spread out over a
large area of open sea. Sierra Wireless joins ECONZ (Electronic
Company of New Zealand), Telecom New Zealand, Trimble Navigation
and Ericsson to make up the America's Cup communications team.
"Sierra Wireless is proud to be an official supplier of such a
prestigious event. We are also very pleased to work with
communications partners to offer such a unique experience to the
sporting world," said David Sutcliffe, Sierra Wireless' President
and CEO. "The technology truly maximizes real-time positioning
updates and cellular communications to puts viewers right in the
race."
The MP200 modem relays GPS data from an onboard Trimble GPS
antenna and receiver on each of the 11 yachts competing in the
"round robin" qualifying races and five marker buoys on the two
courses. The units transmit each boat's position, as well as data
on wind speed, direction, latitude and longitude to Telecom's
Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) network. During the initial
qualifying races, called the Louis Vuitton Cup, data will be
transmitted two times each second; during the finals, the
America's Cup Match, information will be relayed five times each
second.
The data is routed to Animation Research, which produces graphics
for TV and Internet usage. CDPD enables the delivery of multiple
data streams with minimal latency and high security, making it
easier to synchronize camera angles with animation pictures than
traditional data radio links. For the semifinals, finals and
match, the images will be televised live in New Zealand and for
the rest of the world the America's Cup Match will be live.
The MP200 has proven its ruggedness in public safety vehicles
throughout the United States and Canada, and now the technology
will take to the seas, where conditions are even more brutal.
Throughout the races, yachts are subjected to intense vibration
and humidity, and the distances involved are also problematic. The
race distance extends some 18.5 nautical miles (21 land miles).
"Reliability and power were critical," said Terry Stearns,
Business Development Manager, ECONZ. "The technology had to be the
best available so we could have full confidence given the coverage
area and conditions. There was only one 3W, CDPD mobile wireless
modem in the market in which we had total confidence -- Sierra
Wireless."
About America's Cup Communications Team
Sierra Wireless' inclusion on the America's Cup
"telecommunications team" puts it in select company. ECONZ is New
Zealand's leading systems integrator and wireless communications
specialist. New Zealand Telecom is the country's largest and most
advanced telecommunications provider, with 99 percent of access
lines routed to digital exchanges, 85 percent of intercity trunk
cables laid in fiber optics and 95 percent of the population in
its cellular coverage area. Ericsson, with 100,000 employees in
140 countries, is the world's-leading supplier in
telecommunications and data communications.
About Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless is a leading wireless data communication systems
company. The leader in cellular packet data subscriber products,
Sierra Wireless delivers a broad range of products including PC
Cards for portable computers, rugged vehicle-mounted modems, the
AirPac(R) end-to-end transaction-based solutions, OEM modules for
embedded applications, telemetry modems, and software tools and
utilities. For more information about Sierra Wireless, visit
www.sierrawireless.com |
