Article Tools

• 

Airband Communications Inc. announced plans to expand coverage of its high-bandwidth solutions in Baltimore. As part of its national expansion strategy, Airband plans to double its total number of base stations and market reach in the Baltimore/D.C. area from nine to 18 by the end of 2008.

“Baltimore has a dynamic and growing business community that we are committed to supporting,” said Mark Spagnolo, president and CEO of Airband. “We are excited about offering more Baltimore businesses an alternative to last-mile access, one that is unmatched in scalability and speed to delivery, and supported by the most responsive service team in the industry.”

Airband owns and operates the leading fixed-wireless network based on WiMAX technology. The company focuses solely on businesses, delivering VoIP and broadband data services – including dedicated bandwidth up to GigE speeds. Airband’s network bypasses the traditional wireline infrastructure, so customers benefit from faster installations, rapid bandwidth upgrades and more accessible customer care. Airband currently serves more than 3,500 customers nationwide.

“When we decided to select a fixed-wireless provider, Airband was the clear choice because of its speed of delivery and very reasonable price point,” said Scott Erickson, chief technology officer for Catonsville, Md.-based Erickson Retirement Communities. “From an installation and customer service standpoint, Airband could move much quicker than the local telephone company could. Additionally, they provided us with the physical path diversity that is critical in maintaining our medical-grade network.”

Based in Catonsville, Md., Erickson Retirement Communities is a leading provider of full-service retirement and healthcare in the U.S. The company has been an Airband customer since 2005 and leverages fixed-wireless services in several different ways, including connectivity at its new construction locations where high-bandwidth services can be quickly delivered. Today, Retirement Living TV – an Erickson-initiated cable television network targeting people 55 years of age and better – uses a 45 Mbps Airband connection for bandwidth-intensive multimedia file sharing between various locations. Erickson also uses Airband services at its headquarters and several retirement communities to ensure reliability and path diversity from its traditional wireline network.

As part of the Baltimore expansion, Airband already has turned up new base stations in Owing Mills and Glen Burnie, Md., and has upgraded a facility into a base station in Silver Spring, Md. Each base station provides coverage for a three- to five-mile radius.

Airband first entered Baltimore in 2005 with the acquisition of a local fixed-wireless provider. Since the acquisition, Airband has added higher bandwidth capacity and additional base stations, as well as improved the security, reliability and the performance of the existing network.

The planned Baltimore expansion is part of a larger national expansion strategy as Airband seeks to grow to new markets, as well as expand coverage in its existing markets including Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas/Fort Worth; Houston; Los Angeles; Orange County, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; San Antonio and San Diego.