WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly formed Higher Education Wireless Access Consortium (HEWAC) will work with universities and colleges across the U.S. and Canada in developing, procuring and integrating wireless communications platforms across their campuses and adjacent areas. As part of that mission, HEWAC will assist universities and colleges in the deployment of highly reliable and secure wireless solutions using a variety of platforms including wireless local area networks (WLAN or "Wi-Fi") and wide area commercial cellular networks. Universities and colleges recognize that wireless access is of great value to their students, faculty and staff, but there is currently a disconnect between the higher education community's desire for wireless services and its ability to procure them on advantageous terms, HEWAC officials said. HEWAC plans to organize a consortium of leading universities and colleges that will champion new wireless services and applications central to the educational mission. In addition, HEWAC will act as a wireless-services aggregator on behalf of member organizations, thereby enabling them to achieve economies of scale which result in significantly better terms for the hardware, services and support required to deploy and maintain wireless access. To date, interest from the university sector has been strong.

HEWAC Symposium
On October 30, 2003, HEWAC will host a symposium at The Tower Club in Tysons Corner, Virginia, outside Washington D.C., at which a roster of leading experts from the higher education, venture capital, technology and government sectors will speak on the state of wireless deployment in the U.S. higher education sector. Dr. Rajendra "Raj" Singh, Chairman and Co-Founder of LCC International and Chairman of Telcom Ventures is the event's special featured guest. Other speakers include Chris Handley, Chief Information Officer, Stanford University; Paul Kolodzy, Director of Wireless Security, Stevens Institute of Technology; Vanu Bose, Chief Executive Officer, Vanu, Inc.; Marty Schoffstall, Founder, Schoffstall Ventures (Internet pioneer); and John Muleta, Bureau Chief, FCC Wireless Bureau. The event will be moderated by Danny Adams, a partner in the law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. The HEWAC Symposium begins at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $45.00 for industry representatives; $25.00 for higher education -- breakfast and lunch are included. The Tower Club (Fairfax Room) is located at 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA 22182. Registration and information: http://www.hewac.org All parties interested in learning more about the October 30 event, or the benefits of HEWAC membership, are asked to contact membership@hewac.org

About HEWAC
The Higher Education Wireless Access Consortium (HEWAC) is the only non- profit, member-driven, organization solely focusing on wireless technology for higher education. HEWAC goes beyond technology for technology's sake and views broadband wireless technology as an enabling tool to support its members individual, educational and social missions. The organization was created to provide a forum for the most senior technology leaders of colleges and universities in which to cooperatively share their ideas and experiences. HEWAC will champion and share best practices, bridge gaps of knowledge, bring communities of interest together, provide a common ground for resolving issues, provide a unified voice to regulatory concerns, lessen the burden of risk and innovation and share the reward of working together. For more, see http://www.hewac.org