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Speakeasy Will Test IEEE 802.16 In Downtown Seattle
An anonymous reader writes "Speakeasy will be testing a WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network in downtown Seattle. If successful, plans to roll out similar networks in other cities will follow."
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Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Wireless net to cover downtown Seattle
By JOHN COOK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A high-speed wireless network that covers most of downtown Seattle is being rolled out by Internet service provider Speakeasy.
The Seattle company plans to have 10 to 15 test customers using the network by the end of the year, with Speakeasy CEO Bruce Chatterley saying commercial deployment of the WiMax network will occur early next year. The network -- powered by as many as four base stations located at high points throughout the city -- will cover an area from Queen Anne Hill to Qwest Field and Lake Washington to Elliott Bay, he said.
"This is the equivalent of putting in a T-1 line, but it is wireless," said Chatterley. "It is going to change everything."
The company chose Seattle as its first test market, citing the geographic challenges along with the demand for high-speed Internet in the downtown area. Speakeasy will roll out similar WiMax networks in other cities if the test in Seattle is successful, Chatterley said.
WiMax, which is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a relatively new technology that provides wireless Internet access over great distances. Unlike Wi-Fi, which is typically confined to a couple of hundred feet in coffee shops or bookstores, WiMax networks have a range of several miles.
Speakeasy is not disclosing the equipment vendor that it is using for the Seattle deployment. But Chatterley said customers who sign up for the service will attach a small device to a window, allowing the signal to be transmitted from nearby base stations. Some potential customers have expressed interest in using the wireless network as a backup to a more traditional system, while Chatterley said others are considering making a switch to a complete wireless network.
"If you had good coverage, you absolutely would be able to run your business on this," said Chatterley, whose company has been testing a similar technology at its Belltown headquarters. Chatterley also said the WiMax offering is designed to support Voice over Internet Protocol, meaning phone calls could be routed over the network.
Pricing has not been finalized, but the company is considering charging about $650 per month for a wireless connection that reaches speeds of three megabits per second. That compares to $530 per month for a T-1 line, which is 1.5 megabits per second. A T-1 line is about 30 times faster than a dial-up modem.
In August, Intel invested an undisclosed amount in Speakeasy as a way to help the Internet service provider develop its WiMax strategy. The Santa Clara, Calif., semiconductor giant is one of the biggest backers of the technology. Last month, it invested in Clearwire -- a Kirkland startup led by billionaire Craig McCaw that is throwing its weight behind WiMax networks.
Speakeasy, which offers Internet service in 120 markets, has fewer than 100,000 customers. It reported revenues of $49 million last year"
No, it must be 802 because: "The first meeting of the IEEE Computer Society "Local Network Standards Committee", Project 802, was held in February of 1980."
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
At $600/mo they arent going to be getting too many residential customers (nor do they probably expect to). Nor do they want to put up what is probably some expensive connection so they can get all 25 of them that would live in the rural area this would cover. They are targeting businesses who want an alternative to paying for a wired T1.
What *I* want to see, is equipment, affordable to end users, to facilitate point-to-point Megabit-or-faster wireless links over 30+ miles. 802.11 can do this, with the same equipment on both ends. I seriously home WiMax equipment eventually supports that, as opposed to only offering a huge expensive 'head end' to tie to the small end-user units (like DSL and cablemodems currently work)
When I order a partial T-1 line for a remote location, I get a CONSTANT 1.5 up and down, guaranteed. I also get 6 voice lines with 6 separate numbers through the T-1, and 16 different public IP addresses. Supposedly I get 24 hour support with technicians on-call, but we all know how that works. Plus, there are regulations (at least in California) that prevent us from ordering cable Internet for a business location. Correct me if I am wrong there.
Here in the wide open expanses of the midwestern U.S., we have small cities of 10-100K spread out about 50 miles apart. In between there are small farming communities, each with their own grain elevator. Atop the grain elevator there is usually a satellite dish and a TV/radio tower.
A fella could do worse than to set up a network of WiMax repeaters and WiMax-WiFi routers (for local traffic) on these grain elevators.
sigs, as if you care.