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

[Barry Park]

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

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