Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Extends Contract with Smart City Networks in San Antonio

May 17, 2015

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio has extended its contract with Smart City Networks for an additional 10 years, effective July 1, 2018.

The contract extension, which was approved during a city council meeting, will allow Smart City to provide additional services and upgrades for the venue. Smart City has served as the facility’s technology provider since Jan. 14, 1999.

“Smart City has enjoyed a long-term partnership with the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, and we look forward to providing the facility with high-quality technology as the convention center’s expansion is completed early next year,” said Mark Haley, who heads Smart City Networks.

He added, “With the help of the convention center team, we have crafted a business model that ensures continued upgrades throughout the term of the agreement.”

The City of San Antonio, which owns and manages the facility, extended the contract, which will allow Smart City to immediately upgrade the center’s Category 6 cabling to enhance voice and data distribution services while more than tripling the density of its wireless coverage.

In addition, the center’s primary backbone will be increased from 1 to 10 gigabit capability. This upgrade will allow for a greater number of guests and their wireless devices to access the Internet at ever-increasing speeds.

“Our current expansion will ensure that San Antonio can attract new, larger events to our city,” said Michael Sawaya, director of sports and convention facilities for the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. “Our partnership with Smart City and the proposed network upgrades will enable our much larger venue to be a ‘smarter’ venue capable of handling any event’s technology needs.”

Under the extended contract, Smart City will offer a full suite of services at the venue, including high-speed Internet access, network cabling, telephone services, WiFi and turnkey data networking services.

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