AT&T Corp. is reportedly set to begin testing a wireless broadband network in the Atlanta area using an early version of WIMAX technology. AT&T, which is in the process of being acquired by SBC Communications Inc., will use four towers in the Atlanta and Alpharetta, Ga., area and chipsets provided by Intel Corp. in offering service to 30 corporate customers later this year.
AT&T conducted similar trials in parts of New Jersey and Alaska earlier this year.
AT&T recently said it was abandoning its plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator wireless service using Sprint Corp.’s network, and it had not yet decided on any future mobile plans. The company regained control of the AT&T Wireless name from former subsidiary AT&T Wireless Services Inc., which was acquired last October by SBC and BellSouth Corp. wireless subsidiary Cingular Wireless L.L.C.
BellSouth announced earlier this month plans to trial a wide-area wireless broadband network this summer covering parts of Athens, Ga., using its licensed BRS and WCS spectrum and Navini Network’s supplied pre-WIMAX equipment. The trial will target both enterprise and residential customers and is expected to serve as an alternative to BellSouth’s wired broadband service.
Atlanta is becoming a hotbed for wireless broadband services. Cingular is trialing UMTS/HSDPA technology in the area, while Verizon Wireless is currently offering and Sprint Corp. is planning to offer CDMA2000 1x EV-DO services in Georgia’s capital.
Despite the lack of a WIMAX standard, several other companies have announced plans for pre-WIMAX trials including Qwest Communications International Inc. near its Denver headquarters, and smaller companies like NextWeb in Las Vegas and Speakeasy in Seattle. Sprint has also said it was interested in trialing a variation of the technology, while Craig McCaw’s Clearwire wireless broadband venture signed a deal last year with Intel to use the technology on its networks.
