America Connect to Commence Broadband Wireless Trial with NextNet
Trial Focuses on 'Breaking the Mold' for Delivery of Broadband Internet in the United States
RALEIGH, N.C. and MINNEAPOLIS - November 4, 2003 --America Connect, an N.C.-based company working to bring high speed wide-area wireless Internet connectivity to communities in the Southeast, today announced it will work with NextNet Wireless, a leading provider of non line-of-sight (NLOS) plug-and-play broadband wireless access systems, on an upcoming NLOS trial.
The trial, conducted over 2.3 GHz WCS licensed frequencies, will focus on the overall economics of delivering high-speed wireless services to un-served and underserved markets in the Southeastern United States. Funding for the trial is provided in part by the Rural Internet Access Authority of North Carolina. America Connect's commercial relationships with U.S. tower companies provide them with the ability to establish points of presence (POPs) at over 37,000 tower locations in the United States.
"We have been examining the rural broadband wireless market for the past three years, with the goal of leveraging our tower relationships to deliver broadband wireless services across the Southeastern United States," said Joseph Forbes, Jr., chief executive officer of America Connect. "We are encouraged by NextNet's two-year track record of success, and we are extremely optimistic that broadband wireless will create new and better opportunities for education, medicine, business and government in tier 2-4 communities."
"NextNet is pleased to work with the America Connect team," said Guy Kelnhofer, president and chief executive officer of NextNet Wireless. "It's exciting to be able to bring advanced broadband technology to new markets and to watch those markets respond to having the latest communications technologies at their fingertips. We are confident that our successful global deployments, including domestic systems in Iowa, Minnesota, and Arizona, will energize America Connect's vision of providing broadband services and applications to a wide geographic area of the United States."
NextNet's Expedience™ NLOS broadband wireless system is an IP-based network that
supports delivery of all IP compatible broadband applications. These applications
include the delivery of both voice and data services such as IP telephony and
video streaming and conferencing. Expedience OFDM system products are available
to address the needs of residential, SOHO, SME and MDU markets. The Expedience
system is currently deployed in cities throughout Asia, Africa, North America,
Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The flexible OFDM-based platform delivers
consistent broadband speeds across NLOS cell radiuses of up to 30 km, using indoor,
plug-and-play (self-installable) subscriber units, as well as convenient outdoor
(bracket-mount) NLOS subscriber units. The Expedience base station weighs just
16 kg and mounts easily to a pole, tower, building rooftop or standard indoor
rack.
About Rural Internet Access Authority
The Rural Internet Access Authority is leading the e-NC Initiative, a grassroots effort to connect all North Carolinians to the Internet and a better future. The Authority was created in August 2000, by the N.C. General Assembly. e-NC has supported nearly all projects to date through $30 million in private funding committed by MCNC (formerly the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina), a self-supporting nonprofit organization since 1998, and through cash or in-kind contributions from more than 80 other organizations across the state and nation. e-NC and the authority are housed within the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. For more information, visit www.e-nc.org or call 1-866-NCRURAL.
About NextNet™ Wireless
NextNet Wireless is the industry's most widely deployed provider of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) plug-and-play broadband wireless access systems. NextNet's OFDM-based Expedience™ system provides telecommunications carriers with turnkey solutions for rapid, low-cost deployment of high-speed, two-way voice and data services over the "last mile" of the communications network. The Expedience system is deployed in over 20 markets globally, including the world's largest NLOS plug-and-play deployment in Mexico, covering 70 million potential business and residential subscribers nationwide.
NextNet is the recipient of seven industry technical awards for delivering NLOS service to under-served urban, suburban and rural markets. NextNet's primary investors include Craig O. McCaw, DCM-Doll Capital Management, Enterasys (NYSE: ETS) (formerly Cabletron Systems), Globespan Capital Partners, Star Ventures and others. For more information, visit www.nextnetwireless.com.
About America Connect
Founded in 1999, America Connect is a privately held corporation located in Raleigh, N.C. It's America Connect's mission to bring cost-effective wireless broadband service to ex-urban communities primarily in the Southeastern United States. For more information, visit www.aconnect.net.
Contacts:
Ed Levens
Public Relations for America Connect
(919) 863-2393 ext. 213 ed.levens@clearimagepr.com
