NORTEL Visitor-Based Networking Solution

Defined as the delivery of high-speed wireline or wireless Internet access for PC or handheld devices to users in need of temporary service in public places, a Visitor-Based Network is typically deployed in environments such as hotels, convention centers, airports, press areas or other meeting spaces-either as a provider-managed service or by the enterprise itself. Nortel's VBN solution is designed to provide revenue-generating opportunities beyond network access-such as advertising, sales/promotion of core business services and multimedia delivery-resulting in a powerful engine to offer innovative and profitable services.

Nortel's Visitor-Based Networking (VBN) solution enables hospitality operators to offer flexible and value-added network access to their visitors through an in-house solution based on our fully interoperable portfolio of IP switches and WLAN devices.

With tiered, billable VBN-based data services, Nortel is revolutionizing profit potential from data as it has done in the past for voice. With the ability to identify and bill based on applications, hotels using a Nortel VBN could tap into more profitable business models. For example, it could offer business travelers corporate virtual private network connections or Internet voice as a premium service-presenting differentiable marketing opportunities for hotels with loyalty programs and corporate accounts.

In a Visitor-Based Networking service area, visitors attempting to access the Internet through a browser will get an IP address and be redirected to a customizable, secure VBN portal. At the VBN portal screen, the visitor can self-provision a variety of network services based on application content, bandwidth and security requirements. For example, the visitor may choose pay-by-bandwidth or pay-by-time services. The VBN portal provides full support of customer-initiated debit and credit card billing options as well as hotel account billing. Nortel's Visitor-Based Networking accommodates flexible service offers by "zones" within the facility—such as convention center, guest rooms and restaurant/lounge.