Wireless initiative aims nationwide

By RICHARD WOOD

Reach Wireless is aiming to provide a network of wireless "hot spots" nationally under one billing umbrella, but is tight-lipped about who its retail partners will be.

The company has set up five hot spots around Auckland in the past three months, using 802.11b WiFi technology, and general manager Steve Simms said it was in discussions with wireless provider Citylink.

Retailers such as cafes and internet cafes use hot-spot technology to provide customers with internet access using wireless-enabled notebooks or handheld computers.

Reach uses a billing system from the New Zealand firm Argent Networks to allow the public to use the same prepay account at various hot-spot locations.

Customers can buy vouchers from the hot-spot provider or by credit card, starting at $5 for 10MB and up to $50 for 160MB.

Reach is owned by Unicall Communications, which is owned by Argent Networks chief executive Chris Jones.

Simms said the network would involve 50 sites by the end of the month and up to 200 by year's end.

A prospective hot-spot provider can buy Reach's "hot spot in a box" for $979, be automatically connected to Reach's billing system, and buy vouchers to sell. Reach can also provide the fast internet services to the provider through Telecom's Jetstream, starting at $89 a month.

Access speed is theoretically up to 11Mbps but Simms said it was limited by the hot-spot provider's internet connection.

The firm's official website shows 17 inner-Auckland hot-spot sites.

A demo version of Reach's website, hosted off Argent Networks' internet address, identified locations at Starbucks cafes, Mecca cafes, Sierra Cafe and at the University of Auckland quad. But Simms said that site should not be there and would "disappear overnight".

The demo site also promoted a hot-spot-voice-over-IP service, per-minute charging, a flat-rate service and a cellphone service called Reach Mobile.

Jones said Reach Mobile had been in existence for a number of years and used Telecom's 025 network. It had 3000 customers but was not actively promoted.

www.reachwireless.co.nz