WiMAX deployed by Airnet New Zealand

WiMAX is quickly spreading and the people at Intel couldn’t be happier. Airnet NZ Ltd., a leading wireless ISP in New Zealand, particularly servicing Hawke’s Bay, officially started implementing WiMAX technology yesterday (December 21). Working closely with Intel, Airnet is one of twenty international ISPs aiming to bring WiMAX to the forefront.

Standards-based WiMAX features high-throughput broadband connections, and can be implemented over long distances—ideal for rural areas where any kind of service is typically pretty limited. Best of all, WiMAX doesn’t require line of sight, so bringing the service to areas surrounded by mountains, for example, poses a small obstacle, if any.

Philip Cronin, general manager of Intel Australia and New Zealand, is glad to hear that “innovators like Airnet [are] working to bring [WiMAX’s] benefits to rural New Zealand.” He said that WiMAX facilitates “better education, healthcare, agricultural productivity and incomes while improving small business and eGovernment access.” Airnet will be able to reach more customers with “less infrastructure”, according to Airnet CEO Cecil Averill. “WiMAX provides the best technology to offer customers greater access and innovative services.”