County-wide Wireless Network in Michigan
In one of the most significant WiMax deployments to date, regional service provider Arialink Broadband says it will build out a broadband wireless network for all of Muskegon County, Mich., using 802.16e equipment from Samsung Corp. .The Muskegon County network is a public/private partnership funded by a $2.2 million federal grant from the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development along with a $4.5 million loan from the state of Michigan's Economic Development Corporation. Arialink will also invest $6 million of its own funds to build the network, says CEO Jason Schreiber. The company has committed to providing high-speed Internet access at speeds of 3 Mbit/s at a cost of $18.99 a month. Faster, higher-priced versions of the service will be available to residents and businesses in the area, providing mobile broadband at bandwidths of 10 Mbit/s and up.