Wireless broadband service provider Digitalpath Networks has partnered with national Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. to target customers in the areas surrounding Chico, Sacramento and Redding, Calif.
Digitalpath provides wireless Internet service through its own proprietary “relay system,” rather than through a traditional wireless tower network, explained Dan Mackey, vice president of marketing for Digitalpath.
Digitalpath’s network is made up of small devices installed on each of its subscribers’ homes. Those devices communicate with a relay point, which is about the same size as the device but equipped with an omni-directional antenna, and is frequently mounted on a home in a neighborhood. The house hosting the relay point is offered discounted Digitalpath service. The relay points communicate back to a central gateway where the backbone connection to the Internet exists.
The service costs between $20 and $40 per month per consumer, depending on speed. Digitalpath also offers faster $60 and $100 monthly packages to business users. The two-year-old company currently offers service in northern California and has plans to launch in Reno and Las Vegas, Nev., later this year, with Phoenix and southern California to follow. “We hope to work toward a national network,” said Mackey.
Digitalpath’s partnership with EarthLink will likely help in reaching that goal, given the strong brand equity EarthLink brings. EarthLink has invested funding in Digitalpath and staged an initial trial of the partnership by promoting Digitalpath services to its own customers. Now, it is marketing and reselling Digitalpath’s services to the general public.
Digitalpath plans to continue to offer its own retail brand and is looking to partner with other national ISPs as well, according to Mackey, who again emphasized the company’s ultimate goal is to deploy a national network.
