Wireless - University of Huddersfield

More can watch Graduation Ceremony thanks to Motorola Wireless Solution

When the University of Huddersfield hands out degrees to successful graduates more proud relatives are able to watch live, thanks to a Motorola Canopy system provided by Pennine Telecom.

Previously the number of spectators allowed into the ceremony at the Town Hall had been limited due to the space available.  As a result graduates were often only allocated two tickets for family members to watch their loved ones being presented with their degrees.

Then Anne-Marie Greenwood, Telephone Service Manager at the University, attended a seminar about wireless networks and solutions at Pennine's Business Centre.  She was impressed with the technology and immediately saw the potential to greatly expand the numbers of people able to watch the ceremony in real time.

The Motorola Canopy system transmits data between remote sites and the only criterion is that there must be near line of sight between them.  Pennine's engineers installed one antenna on the Town Hall and the other on the University building.  This enabled live video and audio footage of each graduation ceremony to be beamed from the Town Hall to a large screen in one of the University's halls throughout graduation week.

"Lots of students want to bring along more of their families and friends to watch their degree ceremonies but there isn't enough space to accommodate them," said Anne-Marie.  "Now we can invite them to drop in and watch the occasion live on video in our large lecture theatre.  I think we are one of the first universities in the country to do this.

"We are also looking at using the Canopy system to link the University's main communications system with other local sites, as and when needed."

This application demonstrates the versatility and potential of wireless networks.  The capacity is such that you can stream live video and audio in high definition in real time.  It has far more bandwidth than a landline, for instance, and is a much more cost-effective solution.