BigAir first with fixed WiMAX

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 31 July 2007 05:13

Business IT - Networking

Broadband wireless network operator, BigAir (ASX: BGL) has become the first operator of commercial fixed WiMAX networks in Sydney and Melbourne with the rollout of technology from Airspan Networks.

BigAir has deployed Airspan base stations operating in the class-licensed (often referred to as unlicensed) 5.8GHz band. According to Airspan its technology was chosen after a six month technical trial of both proprietary wireless and WiMAX technologies in the 5.8GHz band. BigAir will also rollout the technology in Brisbane.

BigAir CEO, Jason Ashton, said: "[Our] extensive testing showed Airspan equipment consistently gave BigAir up to double the performance of competing proprietary systems. WiMAX will allow us to offer symmetric, business-grade broadband at speeds of up to 30Mbps today with far greater range and reliability than is currently available with proprietary wireless systems. In the very near future we will offer even higher speeds as WiMAX technology evolves."

He added: "We plan to continue to expand our WiMAX network to other areas across Australia in order to offer leading services to businesses frustrated with the current limitations of fixed line options."

In Queensland another wireless operator, Allegro Networks, is planning a fixed WiMAX network using technology from Alvarion and licensed spectrum for which it has paid $1 million. The company's joint managing director, David Waldie, told iTWire: "Wireless in [class licensed] spectrum is perfectly adequate for a range of services and a range of users but what we want to do is offer higher end services to the medium enterprise market so we need to be able to confidently sit behind guaranteed service levels."

Ashton however refutes the need for licensed spectrum. BigAir has been using class licensed spectrum to serve business users since its inception, and Ashton said the technology was well able to avoid potential interference problems and deliver business grade services because of the very large amount of spectrum available (300MHz) in the 5.8Ghz band.