ATLANTA-BellSouth Corp. expanded its pre-WiMAX network to Palatka, Fla., offering wireless broadband services starting at $30 per month. BellSouth previously launched services in Athens, Ga.
“Palatka was an obvious choice for BellSouth to offer this exciting technology,” said Marshall Criser, state president of BellSouth’s Florida operations. “Providing wireless broadband services to rural communities such as Palatka aids our efforts to continuously extend the reach of broadband service.”
BellSouth previously said it would use its licensed BRS and WCS radio spectrum and Navini Networks’ pre-WiMAX Ripwave equipment to offer wireless broadband services working between local radio towers and non-line-of-sight desktop modems.
BellSouth has been trialing the technology since 2000, when it launched a test network in Houma, La.
Several other companies also have announced pre-WiMAX deployments, including Craig McCaw’s Clearwire Corp. in parts of Texas, Florida, Oregon and Minnesota; Speakeasy covering parts of Seattle; and NextWeb covering parts of Las Vegas.
And in another interesting BellSouth move, the carrier said it signed an Internet working agreement with Sprint Nextel Corp. The agreement covers connectivity across both carriers’ networks. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal is notable because BellSouth teamed with Sprint Nextel for the deal instead of SBC Communications Inc. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is a joint venture between BellSouth and SBC. Sprint Nextel Chief Executive Gary Forsee previously served as vice chairman of BellSouth.
