FIRST FORMULA ONE TEAM TO USE VOIP
B嫂愛 Honda Uses New Converged Communication Network To Race Ahead.
The B嫂愛 Honda team goes into this weekend's European Grand Prix at Nurgburgring with the advantage of the only converged communication system supporting the drivers, mechanics and engineers of any team in Formula One racing.
A recent agreement with Avaya, the leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, has provided a new communication network for B嫂愛 Honda with Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, or Voice over IP as it is sometimes known, for the first time on the F1 circuit.
This system enables all voice communication to take place securely over BAR Honda's single network for IT & telephony, even when the team sets up at a race track far from its base. Also, it allows BAR Honda to save more than 30% of international call charges by routing calls across its communication network.
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| B嫂愛 Honda race engineers use Avaya converged network to communicate while on location at 19 Grand Prix that take place each year. Pictured is driver, Jenson Button talking to a race engineer. |
B嫂愛 Honda's Sporting Director, Gil de Ferran, has no doubt about the value of the new network to the team and its drive for success. "Communication is at the heart of everything we do in F1 today. Over a Grand Prix weekend we estimate the team can make up to 1,000 calls between the factory, suppliers and the team.
"Voice over IP allows us to have instant access to the right information wherever we are to give the team a competitive advantage on the track. It's the same on the track as off the track - anything that makes us faster and more efficient gives us an edge over our rivals."
As well as having a converged communication network at the team headquarters at Brackley in England, giant trucks provide an office and workshop facility at each of the 19 Grand Prix events for B嫂愛 Honda's essential team personnel, so the mobile facility needs to act as a fully-functioning satellite office. The team uses Avaya 'softphones' - software allowing laptops to be used as phones. This enables mobile workers to have one device for email and telephony, eliminating the need for handsets whilst competing at any Grand Prix overseas.
Commenting on the partnership, Michael Weiss, vice-president for Avaya in Germany , said: "Avaya is proud to be associated with the B嫂愛 Honda team and to provide the first IP telephony network in Formula One. This is an excellent example of how 'intelligent communication' marries business voice and data applications to make people more productive and processes more efficient. This technology will help sharpen the team's competitive edge as they race this season."
