DALLAS-The Alberta Special Areas Board picked Nortel Networks Ltd. to build a fixed WiMAX network in Canada, bringing high-speed wireless broadband access to rural areas of Alberta, Nortel said.
Nortel explained that the network would be built according to the IEEE 802.16d-2004 standard for fixed WiMAX and said that the SAB is collaborating with new Canadian wireless service provider Netago Wireless to offer wireless broadband access throughout more than 8,000 square miles in southeastern Alberta. The company also noted that the WiMAX network will operate in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band and will be made available to about 80 percent of SAB residents by next summer.
Under the terms of the agreement with the SAB, Nortel will supply base stations, indoor and outdoor equipment and wireless backhaul equipment, as well as provide installation and professional services.
“This WiMAX network will support our goal of bridging the digital divide through affordable broadband wireless Internet services to users located in rural areas of Alberta,” said Jay Slemp, chairman of the SAB. “Nortel’s proven innovation and leadership in WiMAX, wireless mesh and advanced 3G technologies along with its ability to get this service up and running efficiently is essential to meeting our goal.”
Nortel noted that the SAB is a rural municipal area covering about 5 million acres in southeastern Alberta and was set up for land use control in the 1930s. The SAB is responsible for the administration of the area as it relates to providing all municipal services as well as leasing public lands within the area.
