[MLB-WIRELESS] Fw: ::: Broadband Hope ::: Something Big in the Air

Barry Park bpark at theage.fairfax.com.au
Fri Sep 20 18:10:07 EST 2002


australia.internet.comBigAir. At only 6Mbps?
- Barry

----- Original Message -----
From: australia.internet.com
To: bpark at theage.fairfax.com.au
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:35 PM
Subject: ::: Broadband Hope ::: Something Big in the Air



  September 19, 2002
    Broadband Hope

Something Big in the Air

Todd Woody As the global tech downturn drags on, much hope - and hype - is
being pinned on 802.11 wireless technology as The Next Big Thing, a
last-mile miracle.
Now a Sydney startup called BigAir is out to show that such talk is not just
hot air. The company, founded by a trio of thirty-something telecom
veterans, is preparing to launch a carrier-grade, fixed wireless service by
early November as an alternative to Telstra.
"We hope to be the first in Australia to get fixed wireless on the map,"
says Jason Ashton, BigAir's 30-year-old chairman. "Wireless will change the
world in the same way that the Internet changed the world."
But he's talking about evolution, not revolution. BigAir initially will
offer its 802.11 service in Sydney's inner west suburbs. The target
customers: residents and small business owners frustrated by the cost and
hassle of obtaining broadband from the big T and other corporate providers.
The plan is to roll out coverage across metropolitan Sydney, one base
station at a time, and then move on to other capital cities. BigAir's
challenge is to show that 802.11 is not just a coffeehouse curiosity but a
viable alternative to copper and cable.
On a visit to BigAir's small Surry Hills office last week, I found Ashton,
formerly CEO of NTT Australia, and co-founders Patrick Choi and Rob Gillan
huddled around computers running on a wireless connection at 6 mbps. Choi,
BigAir's 35-year-old managing director, previously served as a director of
PowerTel. CTO Gillan, 39, is a veteran of Alcatel and C&W Optus.
Ashton takes me outside and points to the metre-tall antennae of a wireless
base station perched atop the 14-story office building. Each base station
will cover 12 square kilometers, potentially reaching about 10,000 homes and
businesses, according to Ashton.
BigAir, which is being funded by private equity, plans to install 75 rooftop
base stations over the next two years in metro Sydney. "The cost for us is
surprisingly low. I can't go into too much detail, but we believe it's an
order of magnitude lower than proprietary equipment," says Ashton, adding
that that except for the antennae assembly, its network is based on Cisco
Systems equipment.


Remainder of story continues online >>
http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/12454

  In Depth


Outdated Phone Systems Go The Wireless Way
Craig Liddell Wireless VoIP is replacing outdated phone systems that have
given up the ghost. Will ACCC Call Telcos' Bluff?
Paul Budde It is important to realise that the rationalisation of the pay TV
industry has nothing to do with consumer benefits.
You Play You Pay
Craig Liddell The race is on to make online gamers pay.
How Banks Should Evaluate Digital Channels
Guy Cranswick With many more channels now at their disposal, financial
services providers are taking a long hard look at their relative
effectiveness and efficiency.



  Notable Weekly Reading

· Text Parking Flies South (Craig Liddell)
· Using IM for Marketing (Bob Woods)
· 3G: Wifi's New Clothes (Craig Liddell)
 Event Diary
» October 4 - Instant Messaging (Sydney)







  Sections: Home | News | Marketing | Leadership | VC | Technology | Events
  Services: Login | Signup | Search | Memberships | Newsletters | Sitemap
  australia.internet.com: About | Meet The Team | Contact Us | Give Feedback
  Global: internet.com | Asia | Germany | Japan | Korea | Turkey


Copyright 2002 Jupitermedia Corporation | Legal Notices | Privacy Policy
You are currently subscribed to dot-au-html as: bpark at theage.fairfax.com.au
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
leave-dot-au-html-5493798Q at list3.internet.com
For the rest of internet.com's newsletters, please visit
http://e-newsletters.internet.com.

LIKE THIS NEWSLETTER? WANT YOUR OWN?
Managing your own email newsletter is easy and affordable with SparkLIST!
Over 800 businesses -- including Internet.com -- use
SparkLIST to manage their email newsletters & campaigns.
Call us at 1 (800) 485-9994, or visit us at:
http://www.sparklist.com/



*********************************************************************************
The information contained in this e-mail message and any accompanying files
is or may be confidential.  If you are not the intended recipient, any use, 
dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail or 
any attached files is unauthorised. This e-mail is subject to copyright. 
No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the 
written consent of the copyright owner. If you have received this e-mail
in error, please advise the sender immediately by return e-mail, or 
telephone and delete all copies. Fairfax does not guarantee the accuracy
or completeness of any information contained in this e-mail or attached 
files. Internet communications are not secure, therefore Fairfax does not
accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached
files.
*********************************************************************************

To unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo at wireless.org.au
with "unsubscribe melbwireless" in the body of the message



More information about the Melbwireless mailing list