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Minnesota State University Teams with Phone Online to Develop Wireless Technology mLab and Other Initiatives to be Launched in 2001
URL(s): www.mnsu.edu
MANKATO, Minn., March 30, 2001--Minnesota State University (MSU), a leader among
American universities in the deployment of wireless services campus-wide, and Phone Online, a leading mobile data
applications provider in the wireless internet space, have announced they will collaborate on a broad range of mobile data and
information initiatives in the upcoming year and beyond.
Included in the programs announced today are the placement on campus of a Phone Online mLab(TM), a wireless integration lab, and the use of Phone Online's BlueMoon(TM) wireless application gateway software. In addition to being the
primary learning software tool for students in wireless development classes, BlueMoon will also be the platform upon which
core services will be wirelessly extended across the campus, and upon which commercial applications will eventually be
co-developed.
MSU's new 25,000 square-foot Technology Center located in the Memorial Library on the Mankato Campus will serve as
the backdrop for the joint activities. The Technology Center includes a state-of-the-art Data Center with high speed
connectivity, climate control, power backup, and site security, and will be the location where co-developed applications are
hosted. The mLab will incorporate server technology, handset and device technology, and software technology - most notably
Phone Online's BlueMoon(TM) wireless application gateway - to create a center of wireless technology excellence on the
campus. Students, faculty and staff will eventually be able to come view, test, and use the latest in wireless data products and
applications. In months to come it is anticipated that mLab users will actually develop wireless applications both for class
purposes and for commercial market potential.
"We are committed to being the first campus in the country to be 100% wireless, in everything from handset usage to the
University's intranet," said MSU President Dr. Richard R. Rush. "It is also our standing goal that students emerge from the
University with a state-of-the-art education. There is no better way to achieve these goals than by teaming with Phone Online,
a company already recognized in the emerging wireless industry for its technology and proven commercial applications," Rush
said.
MSU has instituted campus-wide laptop wireless capabilities, incorporated wireless technology in the College of Business,
and installed a remote facility for wireless support. Students in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET)
are already learning about and developing wireless applications in a course titled Mobile Communications Data 1 under the
guidance of Assistant Professor Steven Case.
"Our research revealed that Minnesota State University was light years ahead of other American universities in the
development and use of wireless services on a campus-wide basis," Phone Online Vice President of Marketing Don
Sidlowski said. "We were looking for an institution of higher learning at which to test our new technology applications while
simultaneously helping to develop and educate the work force of tomorrow. The MSU faculty and students in the CSET will
be able to incorporate our technology and methods into their course curricula without skipping a beat."
As part of the collaborative effort, MSU students will be exposed to the latest industry trends and methodology in wireless
product development. Phone Online will consult with MSU faculty in the development of course content and curriculum. MSU
students will also be given the opportunity to test actual BlueMoon development software, to use it in their course work, and
to work in co-op employment roles with Phone Online.
"The students emerge as the clear beneficiaries in this partnership," said Dr. John Frey, Dean of the College of Science,
Engineering and Technology (CSET).
Phone Online and MSU will begin to explore the possibility of co-branding products and services which can then be
commercially marketed. Both Phone Online and MSU already have strategic alliances in place with the major carrier,
infrastructure, and technology companies in the wireless space, most notably Nokia and AT&T Wireless Services. It is
anticipated that these partners will be called upon to provide additional tools and technology for hands-on use in and ongoing
development at the mLab.
"In commercial terms, the investment Phone Online is making in Minnesota State University with the BlueMoon software
and the mLab is outstanding," said Mark A. Johnson, Chief Information Officer for MSU. "We cannot begin to value the
ultimate impact this investment will have both on our University's wireless infrastructure and in our students' wireless education
and their preparation for the real world."
Minnesota State University, Mankato, located in south-central Minnesota on a bluff above the Minnesota River, is a
comprehensive university within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Although most of the University's
14,000 students come from Minnesota, the strong academic programs and excellent faculty attract students from throughout
the United States and more than 60 foreign countries. Minnesota State University promotes learning through effective
undergraduate and graduate teaching, scholarship, and research in service to the state, the region, and the global community.
For additional information about Minnesota State University, please visit the campus web site at www.mnsu.edu.
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