Introducing The Hub
On September 22, 2004 at 10:00 AM, Rudin Management Company, Inc.; one of New York City’s largest privately owned real estate companies, held their first ever Open House and Technology Forum at 32 Avenue of the Americas to promote and introduce the creation of The Hub at 32 Sixth (www.thehubat32sixth.com
) . The Hub at 32 Sixth is a Rudin owned and managed co-location and data facility located on the 24th floor of the Avenue of the Americas building that boasts a growing number of communication providers and users ranging from telecommunications carriers, wireless providers, ISPs and entertainment, broadcasting and financial service firms. Rudin purchased the 1.15 million square foot building from ATT in 1999.
The purpose of the forum was to bring the tenants of Rudin Management’s 18 commercial buildings and technology tenants of The Hub together under one roof to share, learn, network and debate the latest technologies, services and network applications that are being launched in the New York metropolitan area and, more specifically, from The Hub. At the inaugural event two panels were developed to discuss true next generation Broadband technologies. The first panel, populated by executives of Gigabeam, T-Mobile and Towerstream, provided for a discussion of fixed and mobile wireless services and technology. Gigabeam is the nation’s first provider of a licensed, fixed, Broadband service capable of speeds up to 10 Gbps. T-Mobile as the World’s first and largest mobile wireless company to deploy a carrier class 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless Broadband network. Towerstream who has been successfully deploying fixed, unlicensed, wireless networks throughout the New York Metropolitan area and around the United States since 2000 and is a leader in the 802.16 WIMAX standard development. The second panel occupied by top-level executives of NYSERNet, Keyspan Communications and Qwest discussed new products and networking enhancements over traditional terrestrial networks. NYSERNet who is spearheading the efforts of building Internet II, a network that is delivering next-generation Internet services to New York State’s research and education community. Qwest, the 4th largest long distance provider in the US, announced the launch of OneFlexTM, their VoIP service, to New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. And Keyspan Communications presented their latest network transport product: the Managed Wavelength Service. This service will supply exceptional provisioning intervals while providing transport options from OC-3 up to 10 Gig E throughout Manhattan, Long Island, Brooklyn and Jersey City. Each panel offered highly spirited and informative discourse.
“The main goal of the event was to bring our commercial tenants face to face with our telecom/technology tenants and engage them in a dialogue about what our customers want and what providers have to offer,” says John J. Gilbert III, COO, Rudin Management. “Rudin has spent a lot of time and energy in creating infrastructure within and between our properties and it was time to bring everyone together. This type of meeting is the beginning of a very powerful discussion that benefits all parties. We are confident that real value for carriers as well as tenants will be created through these getogethers.” The Open House and Technology Forum is a new approach for Rudin Management in showcasing the co-location facility, emerging technologies and the customers who desire to use these tools. The Rudin philosophy behind the forum is to go beyond a tradeshow venue by providing a medium that allows commercial tenants to challenge and confer on competing technologies and to tour The Hub facilities with the actual providers present. The tour included an examination of the co-location space, “meet-me” area and rooftop, providing the full visual experience of the endless wireless capabilities this building has to offer.
32 Avenue of the Americas has a rich history in telecommunications. It is known within the industry as the “cross roads of communication” as the once AT&T Long Lines Building. Rudin Management, long recognized as supporters of advancements in technology, continue to build on the vision of this building with its creation of The Hub. Bill Rudin who was also present at this event made the observation that “The Hub is a virtual meet point of optical networks, but the human meet point is right here in this room and you can feel the energy.”
For more information about The Hub please contact Julia Di Dominicus at jdidomin@rudin.com or call 212-407-2758.
