SAN JOSE, CA – Nov. 15, 2012 – As more Wi-Fi networks are deployed in airports, retail stores, hotels, hospitals, universities and other public venues, to meet the needs of the growing number of connected consumers, Cisco today introduced its advanced Wi-Fi location data analytics platform to help businesses enhance customer experiences and create new monetization opportunities.

Cisco is providing the Fernbank Museum of Natural History with a Next-Generation Internet solution delivering rich, new personalized applications and experiences to visitors on their mobile devices. The new location based products will work in tandem on the AT&T Wi-Fi network to provide a new enriching museum network. Additionally, Copenhagen Airport has also deployed Cisco's new context aware location data analytics to help improve operational efficiency, make smarter business decisions and provide a better travel experience for its passengers.

These organizations are early adopters of Cisco's contextual data analytics technology, which is embedded in their Wi-Fi networks to create new business opportunities, enhance customers' experiences, and streamline business operations. Building on Cisco's recent acquisition of ThinkSmart Technologies and the new location services and analytic features included in the Cisco®  Mobility Services Engine (MSE), part of the company's Unified Access solution, Cisco is committed to providing an intelligent network for retail, travel, hospitality, healthcare, education and other industries.

Mobile business opportunities are on the rise, as evidenced by the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast, which predicts that by 2016 there will be nearly 18.9 billion mobile connections. Wi-Fi-enabled devices are expected to grow at 300 percent through 2015 to 2 billion globally, according to ABI Research. Wi-Fi traffic is also expected to grow at a 34 percent rate through 2016, when it accounts for half of total Internet Protocol (IP) traffic, ABI Research predicts. This growth, combined with the majority of indoor data usage, is leading to a new set of user expectations for better experiences over a Wi-Fi network.

Innovative Mobile Customer Experiences Enabled by Cisco and its Wi-Fi Ecosystem Partners

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Ga., is a pioneer in using technology to advance educational opportunities, focusing on creating innovative, enlightening experiences that showcase the wonders of the natural world. As part of the 20^th anniversary of the founding of the museum, AT&T, in collaboration with Cisco, has created a first-of-its-kind platform using new contextually rich-indoor hyper-location technology to work in tandem with the newly installed AT&T Wi-Fi network.

The new, free opt-in Fernbank Museum application, powered by Meridian, available on November 16, will guide visitors to explore the Museum with the expertise of a paleontologist. The Fernbank journal experience includes a combination of audio, video, touch-screen inter-actives, animation, question-and-answer challenges and sketchbook activities that are activated according to the user's location within the Museum.

As visitors complete the journal sequences, they gain access to enhanced content, added activities, hidden features, new challenges, rewards and more. Additionally, the application offers a hands-on visitor map with directional navigation within the museum and details on current programming, including exhibitions and IMAX® films.

The new application will transform the way visitors experience Fernbank—offering customized capabilities based on individual preferences that customers can control and modify on repeat visits. It will also allow Fernbank to publish local in-venue services and conduct marketing promotions accessible through users' mobile devices. The analytics platform provides real-time and historical data on visitor path and flow analysis to assist Fernbank in making staffing adjustments and optimizing venue operations.   

Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport in the Nordics serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the North European region. The airport is using Cisco's Advanced Location Analytics, in partnership with global air transport IT provider SITA, to track the passenger flow of those coming and going throughout the international terminal. As a result, Copenhagen Airport can determine the appropriate level of security personnel and staff that is needed to support their passengers in a timely manner.

The analytics captured over the Wi-Fi network also allows Copenhagen Airport to monitor passenger movements from incoming flights, so they can staff accordingly in the clearance and customs department.

Examining passenger movements in the airport with location analytics was the primary driver for Copenhagen Airport's decision to work with Cisco and SITA to create a better customer experience for travelers and improve the passenger flow.

Qualcomm

Cisco is collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies' networking and connectivity subsidiary, Qualcomm Atheros, to deliver precise indoor location capabilities on mobile devices, while helping ensure interoperability with Cisco Wi-Fi infrastructure. This collaboration provides a better indoor location capability in venues with Cisco Wi-Fi infrastructure, as well as enhances service discovery, provides greater context, and delivers a better mobile user experience.

Intelligent Wi-Fi Network Provides a "Smarter Blue Dot"

Cisco's new context-aware Wi-Fi technology enables Wi-Fi networks to deliver a "smarter blue dot," a new breed of mobile mapping services that enable informative location-based mobile applications, allowing mobile users to be better informed of their surroundings while indoors or at specific venues. Cisco's intelligent Wi-Fi networking technology delivers richer information and experiences via network-connected devices over traditional blue dot mobile mapping services and applications available on standard global-positioning satellite (GPS)-enabled devices.

New network capabilities for the Cisco Mobility Services Engine include:

• Network Services Discovery – businesses can use Wi-Fi networks to detect, connect and engage mobile users connected to their Wi-Fi network.
• Location Analytics that provide real-time location analytics and historical trends as mobile users travel around a business's facility.
• Mobile Concierge feature allows organizations to engage with mobile users through a native application on a smart mobile device. Cisco offers a software developer kit (SDK) for Mobile Concierge to ease development of applications and services that use the Cisco MSE. Mobile Concierge also provides businesses with an intelligence platform for building marketing promotions targeted directly at its customers.   

Supporting Quotes

• Sujai Hajela, vice president and general manager, Wireless Networking Group, Cisco

"The influx in mobile devices provides enterprises with unique ways to transform the end-user experience. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History, AT&T and Copenhagen Airport are leading the trend of using Wi-Fi to introduce exciting mobile experiences for customers that adapts to their interests and behaviors, and increases revenue. With rich radio frequency innovation in wireless networking infrastructure, our recent investment in ThinkSmart Technologies for location data analytics, and new indoor hyper-location capabilities we are unlocking an unsurpassed end-user experience and powerful business benefits. These mobile networking advancements mark the end of the days of inaccurate, two-dimensional maps and ‘good-enough' services offered to people at indoor-locations and venues."

• Joey Schultz, vice president of consumer marketing, AT&T

"AT&T's vision is to expand the value of Wi-Fi networks from high-quality connectivity to a business innovation platform -- a direct result of our commitment to consumers and the business community that serves them. We view the Fernbank Museum as a showcase of technology innovation applied towards changing the relevance of a business proposition to its consumers."

* Joey Schultz, vice president of consumer marketing, AT&T also serves as a board member on the Fernbank Museum of Natural History

• Jennifer Grant Warner, senior vice president and chief programming officer, Fernbank Museum of Natural History

"We are delighted to work with AT&T and Cisco to offer the first-of-its-kind application to amplify the education value that we provide at Fernbank Museum. This groundbreaking technology maximizes convenience and engagement opportunities for visitors and offers an educational experience like no other -- while offering analytics to derive improved business planning and marketing strategies."

• Christian Poulsen, assets and technical director, Copenhagen Airport
  "Copenhagen Airport, in partnership with SITA, chose Cisco for its real-time location analytics solution, giving us more insight into meaningful data about passenger patterns. A positive passenger experience is valuable to us and we strive to provide the travelers with a stress-free airport experience. In the future, we are looking to also implement push notifications with flight information and other relevant material pertinent to a passenger, as well as ensuring an appropriate level of staffing is present to assist the travelers in a timely manner."

• Cormac Conroy, vice president, location products and technology, Qualcomm

"Indoor location represents a significant opportunity for Qualcomm to enhance the mobile experience and provide businesses with a new way to reach, interact with and profit from connected consumers. Through delivery of a complete indoor-location solution, we are accelerating indoor location services for public and private venues that utilize Cisco wireless infrastructure. Our combined strengths will make indoor location technology as ubiquitous as outdoor location-based services are now."

Editor's and Blogger's Note

• At 6 p.m. (EST) today media and bloggers are invited to attend a public demonstration of the new Wi-Fi app at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. Interviews are available with Fernbank Museum, AT&T and Cisco executives and Fernbank patrons. To register and attend, please contact Brandi Berry, director of public relations and promotions at Fernbank Museum, at 404-929-6339 or brandi.berry@fernbankmuseum.org or Kevin Petschow, Cisco, at 847-678-5462 or kpetscho@cisco.com.

Embedded YouTube Videos

• Watch: "AT&T and Cisco Bring the Past to Life at Fernbank Museum"

• Watch: "Increasing Airport Efficiencies with Cisco Wi-Fi"

• Watch: "Connected Mobile Experiences Overview"

• Watch: "Connected Mobile Experiences Partner Ecosystem"

Supporting Partners and Resources

• AT&T
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History
• Copenhagen Airport
• Qualcomm Expands IZat Location Platform to Enable Indoor Positioning Experiences for Consumers, Revenue Opportunities for Businesses
• Qualcomm Atheros and Cisco Announce Indoor Mobile and Location Technology Collaboration
• Cisco
• Cisco Mobility Services Engine
• Cisco Service Provider Wi-Fi solution
• Cisco Mobility: Enabling mobile experience, your way
• Information on Cisco Service Provider products and technologies
• Innovative museum technology -- Learn how Cisco provides immersive, interactive experiences for museum visitors
• For more information about Cisco's wireless networking and service provider news and activities visit the Cisco Mobility Blog and SP360 Blog or follow us on Twitter @Cisco_Mobility and @CiscoSPMobility
• Cisco Service Provider Mobility Community
• Subscribe to Cisco's SP360 feed

Keywords: Cisco, Wireless, Mobility, Mobility Services Engine, MSE, Mobile Services Locator, Mobile Concierge, Wi-Fi, WiFi, BYOD, Service Providers, Mobile Operators, Cable Operators, Mobile Internet, Enterprise, Retail, Hospitality, Travel, Sujai Hajela, Joey Schultz, Jennifer Grant Warner, Amir Faintuch, AT&T, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Copenhagen Airport, Qualcomm, Unified Access

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