Jackson Hole, Wyo. gets first certified mobile WiMAX network

Jackson Hole, Wyo., is the first city in the U.S. to get a certified mobile WiMAX 2.5 GHz network. DigitalBridge Communications (DBC) officially launched service today in the popular resort area using Alvarion's equipment.

DBC's goal is to bring WiMAX to underserved rural communities. It has fixed broadband wireless up and running in a number of markets in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and will work to upgrade those markets to standardized mobile WiMAX in the 2.5 GHz band within the next year.

Greg Daily, president of Alvarion's North American business, said DBC and other operators looking to target rural markets will benefit from the economies of scale of Sprint, which has ushered in the mobile WiMAX device ecosystem, and the new Clearwire, which is folding in Sprint later this year. "Think about the ecosystem launching and upwards of almost 100 devices that will come out at the end of the year. We're starting to see customers in small places like Montana and anywhere else in the world being able to access to architecture like this," Daily told FierceBroadbandWireless.

DBC's primary business model will be selling subscriptions to businesses and consumers in the Jackson Hole area. It will also look to institute a visitor-based model whereby visitors to the tourist area can buy a daily or weekly subscription.

For more:
- check out this release [1]

Related stories:
Nortel teams with Alvarion on WiMAX; focus moves to LTE. Alvarion story [2]
Research firm blasts mobile WiMAX. Mobile WiMAX story [3]