Canada gets its first WiMAX network — MobileMonday Global: Industry News

^{Nortel to cover 8000 square miles} Canada gets its first WiMAX network

10 Dec 2005 at 21:13 GMT Timo Poropudas

The Alberta Special Areas Board (SAB) has selected Nortel to build what is believed to be the first commercial broadband wireless access network in Canada based on the WiMAX IEEE 802.16-2004 (fixed WiMAX) standard. The SAB is collaborating with NETAGO Wireless, a newly formed wireless service provider in Canada, to bring wireless broadband services to rural Albertans spread throughout more than 8,000 square miles (21,000 square kms) in southeastern Alberta. According to Nortel press release the WiMAX network will operate in the 3.5GHz spectrum band and be made available to roughly 80 percent of SAB residents by the end of summer 2006. The new WiMAX network will also extend the service area of the Alberta SuperNet Project, a provincial government initiative designed to bring affordable broadband services to approximately 4,200 government, health, library and educational facilities in 429 communities across Alberta.