Chariot Internet spreads wireless canopy over Adelaide

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 07 February 2006 09:15

Business IT - Networking

Chariot Internet has extended is wireless broadband network into Adelaide's eastern suburbs and the Adelaide Hills, providing connectivity at up to 3Mbps. Chariot later plans to offer larger business users access at up to 13 Mbps.

The network uses Motorola's Canopy pre-wiMAX technology, and was formerly owned by Omninet Wireless, a company acquired by Chariot in 2005. The system requires line-of-sight or near line-of-sight and is claimed to provide access within a radius of up to 25-30 kilometres.

Chariot says it is progressively rolling out the network to cover much of the main metropolitan area to the north and south of the Adelaide CBD, and that full access over this footprint is likely to be commissioned within two months.

The company has in recent weeks completed a similar rollout in its Victorian market, targeting wireless broadband customers who comply with Federal Government backed national schemes to large areas of Gippsland, east of Melbourne.

Chariot's managing director, Robert Horlin-Smith, said: "We have registrations of interest from nearly 1,000 potential wireless broadband customers in Adelaide and expect this interest to escalate as our existing dial-up and broadband subscribers move up – as well as attracting new domestic and business clients...We already have 60,000 active dial-up and ADSL customers within the broader Adelaide metropolitan area and expect the attractiveness of high speed, massive downloads and affordable pricing will drive the pick-up rate."

Chariot says it will shortly launch VoIP and has commenced final trials of its VoIP technology with global partner, Transcom International. This is a year behind the original schedule of early 2005 set when Chariot announced its VoIP plans in late 2004.