Base-wide Wi-Fi ready for use

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Levin Boland
  • 97 Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Thanks to the hard work and dedication the Mighty 97th put into winning the 2014 Commander In Chief's Installation Excellence award, members of Altus AFB are already seeing some of the benefits of being the number one Air Force Base in the world.

Among the working projects, the following have been completed.

− The kids play zone at the Freedom Community Center is now open. 
− The archery range next to the South Gate is open for limited use as improvements are made.
− The Chapel renovations are complete.
− New long-distance treadmills and the parents' workout area at the fitness center are ready for use.
− The base library has new video games, video game systems, TVs, and a puppet stage.
− The picnic area between the FCC and base pool has new patio furniture. 
− The dog park next to Excellence Park is now open.
− The Airman Resilience Center has been upgraded with new furniture.
− The paintball field has received new barrels.

The latest change was the addition of base-wide Wi-Fi. Frank Piasecki, 97th Communications Squadron planning and implementation flight director, led the project.

"I am the project lead from design, installation and activation," said Piasecki. "A team of five members from CS played a major role in getting the system up and operational. They did this while juggling mission items as well."

Some may have already noticed the new wireless network ID being broadcasted, labeled GUM-B. GUM-B is the General Use Wi-Fi network, paid for with CINC IEA funds. Most populace areas have already been covered.  Over the next 6 months, additional access points will be stood up to further increase coverage.

"End state we are looking at 60 [access points] covering the base," said Piasecki. "Eventually the Wi-Fi will reach all areas in and around the industrial side of base, our initial focus is highly populated areas.  The end state objective is a member will maintain connectivity to the GUM-B while out and about base."

As far as other CINC projects go, we are not done yet. There are still multiple projects in the works that are scheduled to be completed within the next few months.

− There will be additional Functional Fitness equipment and workout space in the Fitness Center.
− The 18-hole mini-golf course and splash pad are both scheduled to open around the beginning of December, 2014.
− New, portable scoreboards for the track will be installed by middle of November. 
− Holes and fencing around the Youth Ball Fields will be repaired by February, 2015.