Independent broadband ISP Speakeasy has just launched a pre-WiMAX service in Seattle, and will offer it as a complement to its DSL packages. The company has placed its transmission set-up at Seattle’s Space Needle. Speakeasy is taking orders but service goes commercial next month. More details here. Its not cheap – a 6 megabits (total of up and download bandwidth) service that will take 2 days to install is going to set you back by $800 a month. Its the same price you would pay roughly for two T-1 lines, and get the same results. (T-1 is symmetrical up and down.) But this is clearly a boon for those who are not close to the broadband grid. Given that the company has taken an investment from Intel, it should not come as a surprise that it is all over this fixed wireless thing. Alvarion is the key equipment supplier.
Om,
Wouldn’t 6MB be equal to 4 T1’s, so at $800/mo, speakeasy is offering a 50% discount over the wired substitute.
The 6Mb/s is total upstream+downstream, so if you want symmetrical, it’s the equivalent of 2 T1s.
Interesting from the coverage map that they only seem to be providing 180 degrees of coverage.
i did the math using 2 T-1 lines @ 1.5 megabits up and 1.5 megabits down – that makes it six megabits per second. most t-1 are going for about 400 a month now, though you can get a lower cost option from some clecs. i am going on the assumption you can’t get a better connection. compared with speakeasy, which is doing 6 megabits per second 3+3 or 4+2, you pay $800 (with annual contract). hopefully i explained the math cleanly enough!
Interesting.
I’ve never and would never think of bandwidth that way.
So yes, 3 up and 3 down is two T1s.
This is very interesting pricing in that they’re not discounting. Congrats to them.
PS. Maybe I should’ve read the article, but there’s only so much time.
Mpower Announces Initial Deployment of Fixed Wireless Broadband Network in Las Vegas
Intel/Alvarion Streaming Video Application Riding Mpower
Fixed Wireless Network at Networld+Interop Show
LAS VEGAS – NETWORLD + INTEROP – May 4, 2005 – Mpower Communications
Corp. (AMEX:MPE), a leading provider of data and voice services to
retail and wholesale business customers , today announced the initial deployment of its new fixed wireless broadband network in Las Vegas.