IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 22, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- www.ibchannel.com -- Adaptive Broadband (Nasdaq:ADAP) announced that it has signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Fuzion Wireless Communications to purchase additional AB-Access fixed wireless broadband equipment. Adaptive Broadband has now committed $200 million in contracts with Fuzion, which is gearing expansion to Latin America.
Many industry insiders view Latin America as a tremendous opportunity for wireless broadband services. Unlike the United States, which already has extensive copper and cable lines in place, most of Latin America lacks this infrastructure and is ripe for the latest wireless technologies.
USURF America (AMEX:UAX) is one of the pioneers in the arena of fixed wireless technology. Incorporated in November 1996, USURF provides wireless Internet access products and other Internet services. The company provides Internet access primarily by traditional telephone line, or dial-up, connections to over 30,000 subscribers, nearly all of whom were serviced by its subsidiary CyberHighway. Since the beginning of the year, USURF has been aggressively focusing on providing Internet access through a wireless system to a small number of customers.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based USURF's current mainstay, is its proprietary wireless Internet access technology, which is marketed under the trade names "Quick-Cell" and "US.RF Wireless Internet System," in which US.RF stands for United States Radio Frequency. In fact, its Quick-Cell product is currently USURF's primary marketing focus. The system is a turn-key, plug-and-play system that is capable of delivering Internet access at burstable T-1 equivalent speeds. Quick-Cell service also claims voice over Internet (VOIP) capability. Prices range from 40% to 60% below those charged for traditional T-1 hardwire Internet access service. Each Quick-Cell system consists of one US.RF Quick-Cell, one US.RF server modem and five US.RF wireless, two-way customer modems, all of which can be deployed in less than one week. Additional Quick-Cells can be added to a local system on an as-needed basis. The company receives royalty payments for the use of its Quick-Cell system, in addition to revenues received from the sale of hardware components.
The Quick-Cell system does not require a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to be deployed. It can be expanded to cover cities of any size and enables Internet access providers to immediately offer home and business customers always-on wireless DSL and T-1 (broadband) Internet access at extremely competitive rates. With the Quick-Cell system, no telephone or other wall jack connection is necessary to connect to the Internet over the so-called last mile. Quick-Cells can help CLECs and telcos meet the demand from customers who presently are unable to get DSL and other high-speed Internet access services.
More importantly, USURF's proprietary US.RF Wireless Internet System, which operates within a broadcast signal in the 900 MHz or 2400 MHz band using two-way modems outfitted with antennae, differs considerably from the wireless Internet access available through cellular telephones in design. Since it does not rely on hard wire to transfer data, it is also substantially different from systems provided by traditional telephone line-based ISPs. This technology difference is what makes the USURF system superior to other Internet access modes in terms of utility and costs.
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