Networking giant Nortel has won a AU$2.3 million deal with the University of Western Sydney.

The wireless deployment will cover 450 access points across six of the university's campuses, with connectivity supplied by partner Optus. Up to 35,000 students and staff will now be able to access the university's EduRoam network both indoors and outdoors using Wi-Fi.

According to the University of Western Sydney's IT director, Michael Houlahan, the decision to rollout the wireless network came in response to requests for easier network access from students who lived further away from the university's computer facilities

The university first trialled the wireless system across communal areas in one of its campuses, using Wi-Fi and mesh networking. It later received government funding to allow it to deploy the wireless system.

"Having reviewed a similar design at Perth's Edith Cowan University, the solution from Nortel and Optus proved best suited to the task, and was also the most competitive price-wise, which is always a consideration in budget-sensitive environments like universities," Houlahan said.

The educational institution said that it had installed the kit with security as its main concern, allowing students and university workers onto the network but banning rogue access.