BellSouth (Quote) plans to test-market wireless broadband service in Athens, Ga., this summer with hopes to expand the trials to selected areas of Florida by year's end. The announcement follows five years of trials of the technology.
Using Navini Networks' pre-WiMax equipment, BellSouth says
customers will receive broadband speeds comparable to the company's landline
DSL (define) consumer service.
The system uses a non-line-of-sight modem to transmit signals to local radio
towers, which then relay the signals to other towers using BellSouth's radio spectrum technology.
"BellSouth's latest wireless broadband initiative is the next logical step
after a technical trial," Keith Cowan, BellSouth's president of marketing
and product management, said in a statement. "Wireless broadband complements
BellSouth's wireline strategy, and aids in our efforts to continuously extend
the reach of our broadband service."
Nadine Randall, a spokeswoman for BellSouth, said the company had no
projected number of subscribers for the Athens trials, nor was it announcing
any future markets beyond Florida.
BellSouth has been conducting technical trials in Daytona and Palatka, Fla.
Overall, the company has been testing wireless broadband technology since
2000, beginning with the company's first-generation trial in Houma, La.
Randall said one of the reasons Athens was chosen as a test site is the
large student population at the University of Georgia.
"BellSouth recognizes that college students are much more comfortable with
wireless service," she said.
The company specifically plans to target college students for the service by
allowing them to suspend their service during summer vacation. During that
time, students will pay a nominal charge per month to maintain their account,
and will then be able to re-activate service at no charge upon their return to Athens.
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