VOIP Provides The Edge For The Perth Centre

Macquarie delivers one-stop communications at Perth's new Convention Exhibition Centre
 

Perth, Australia – 31 August, 2004 – One of Australia's most innovative VoIP implementations swung into action when the new Perth Convention Exhibition Centre (The Perth Centre) opened its doors on August 26.

To meet the events industry's growing demand for advanced communications on the show floor, The Perth Centre's operator, Spotless Services Australia Limited (Spotless) contracted Macquarie Corporate Telecommunications to design and build a network that can deliver connectivity for users, employees and customers throughout the new facility.

“An increasing number of our corporate customers are including VoIP as part of their ICT infrastructure to provide added security, reduce total cost of ownership and ensure greater flexibility of service offerings,” said David Tudehope, CEO, Macquarie Corporate Telecommunications.

According to Spotless, Macquarie's input helped the centre's communications design evolve from a basic PABX-based telephony system into a network that will offer true “any-to-any” services.

Using a combination of Category 6 cabling and fibre backbones, The Perth Centre network carries both data and VoIP traffic.

A voice gateway at The Perth Centre connects to Macquarie's voice services, while a direct Ethernet connection between the centre and the Macquarie PoP gives users access to the Internet.

The VoIP infrastructure is a critical component in the delivery of an affordable one-stop communications shop for The Perth Centre.

Unlike an office environment, the telecommunications network set-up for an event only lasts as long as the event itself. The ideal communications system for The Perth Centre needed to be flexible enough that a new environment with new users and new billing records could be created from one event to the next.

VoIP was the simplest way to create a voice network that could be rebuilt for every new event and meant only one connection had to be delivered to an exhibitor for both voice and data. Once they've set down their communications needs, exhibitors get a “plug and play” service all the way to the stand.

“In the past, organisers, exhibitors and other attendees had to call the telecommunications provider weeks in advance to request a line,” said the Perth Centre's CEO Paul D'Arcy. “This request had to be co-ordinated with the centre, the venue and the organiser. The new, easy-to-access infrastructure gives The Perth Centre a vital competitive edge over similar facilities in Australia and Asia.”

Customised billing engines running on servers at The Perth Centre allow the centre to bill exhibitors and organisers for their access to voice and data traffic.

The same network also supports around 50 permanent users - the Spotless staff involved in the day-to-day operation of The Perth Centre.

The centre has six exhibition pavilions, a 2500 seat auditorium, reconfigurable ballroom space, 19 meeting rooms and can accommodate thousands of visitors. It is expected to add billions to Perth's economy both directly and indirectly - all of which rests on its ability to attract events.

According to D'Arcy, the communications system designed by Macquarie, with support from Dimension Data to build the large Cisco-based infrastructure, plays an important role in making the centre an attractive destination for major events.

“The system will put The Perth Centre at the forefront of the competitive conference and exhibition market in Australia,” he said.

###

< Back to previous page

For more information:
Mandy Galmes
N2N Communications
02 9213 2302
agalmes@n2n.com.au

About Macquarie Telecom
Macquarie Telecom is a leading supplier of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions – including voice, data, mobile and hosting – specialising in the business and government markets. The world class Intellicentre facility offers state-of-the-art hosting and security solutions. The Intellicentre is certified to BS 7799 and DSD Gateway security standards.

Macquarie Telecom provides services to more than 2,500 of the top companies in Australia and Asia, supporting more than one million business users at work every day. Founded in July 1992, it is one of Australasia's first deregulated telecommunications companies. It expanded its operation into Asia in 2000, and holds carrier licences in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.