Aloha Partners L.P., which claims to be the largest holder of 700 MHz spectrum in the United States, said it will launch a market trial using Flarion Technologies Inc.’s Flash-OFDM technology for mobile broadband IP services. The trial is scheduled to begin during the second quarter of next year in an undisclosed top-100 market.
As part of the trial, Aloha said it will provide customers with mobile broadband access on laptop and desktop computers, personal digital assistants and other devices. The trial’s objectives will include evaluating equipment, network performance, and customer demand and satisfaction.
“The excellent propagation characteristics of Aloha Partners’ 700 MHz spectrum, in combination with the robustness of the Flash-OFDM airlink, provides for strong, in-market coverage, in-building penetration and broadband access for customers in rural areas,” explained Mike Gallagher, president of Flarion Technologies.
The trial network is expected to provide average downlink speeds of up to 1 megabit per second with burst rates of up to 3.2 Mbps and average uplink rates of between 300 and 500 kilobits per second.
Nextel Communications Inc. is conducting a similar trial of Flarion’s technology using 1.9 GHz spectrum in the Raleigh, N.C., area, while the Office of the Chief Technology Officer in Washington, D.C., recently announced a trial using 700 MHz spectrum.
