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BellSouth Expands Wi-Fi Service

It has been said that rural life can be slower paced when compared to urban environments. This may be true, but where you live should never affect the speed of your Internet connection. With this in mind, BellSouth Corporation has announced an expansion of Wi-Fi wireless Internet service in five new markets. Set to deploy in the third quarter of 2006, BellSouth’s new territory includes: select parts of Melbourne, FL.; Chattanooga, TN.; Greenville, MS.; Charleston, SC and Albany, GA.

Randy Roberts, vice president, Wireless and CPE Management of BellSouth explained this expansion in a recent press release. "With BellSouth Wireless Broadband Service, we can reach even more of our customers with high-speed Internet access. One of our primary focuses in these latest deployments has been on our rural customers, some whose only opportunity to experience high-speed Internet is with our wireless broadband service."

Wireless Broadband Offerings

With high-speed Internet access, BellSouth residential and business customers can download at speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per second – without subscribing to traditional landline phone service. The system works by transmitting signals between local radio towers and a small non-line-of-sight desktop subscriber modem and utilizes BellSouth licensed WCS 2.3GHz spectrum.

And that’s not all. BellSouth offers wireless broadband subscribers the option to use the service as back-up access to the Internet in the event of a wireline network outage. Back-up service is provided as a discount. Customers can also choose to bundle a Wi-fi service into their BellSouth Wireless Broadband service.

BellSouth, headquartered in Atlanta, GA was the first major telecom provider to commercially launch wireless broadband using pre-WiMAX technology – described by the WiMAX forum as a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. The company initially deployed the service in August 2005 in Athens, GA. In addition, BellSouth offers wireless broadband service in Palatka, FL.; New Orleans, LA.; Gulfport, MS and DeLand, FL. BellSouth plans to expand the service to additional cities throughout 2006.

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