Wireless foothold in Australia

Steve Simms (left) general manager of Reach Wireless and Martyn Levy, chairman of RoamAD. Picture / Martin Sykes

Wireless network software specialist RoamAD has gained a foothold in the Australian market with the first sale of its technology across the Tasman.

Australian telecommunications carrier metromesh launched a metro Wi-Fi network in downtown Perth last week using RoamAD's blueprint for a low-cost network based on off-the-shelf components.

Metromesh managing director Glenn Farrow said RoamAD's network structure was more flexible and adaptive than other options considered, and its off-the-shelf component build reduced budgeted startup costs by 60 per cent.

"Every vendor is saying, 'Go for our technology, put it out there and just blast as big an area as you can'. RoamAD's approach was to selectively choose which areas you want to go after and supply them with the best signal strength," Farrow said.

After running a pilot test for several weeks, metromesh will initially cover 3.5sq km of downtown Perth with internet and mobile voice services.

The company plans to cover 80 per cent of the downtown area by the end of the year.

RoamAD's wireless network uses multiple radio nodes located around the metro area to provide targeted wireless coverage.

Customers maintain and upgrade equipment themselves using RoamAD's design blueprint and industry standard hardware.

The company in turn focuses on supplying, maintaining and upgrading software online from its Auckland office.

Martyn Levy, RoamAD's vice-president of business development, said the company and its customers benefited from the network design.

"What's so sexy for them is they've got cheap, cost-effective commodity hardware and they just license our software."

Levy said the company would lead the way in the metro Wi-Fi market with its software-only model.

"It's a big deal for two things - one, it's the first network we've deployed in Australia, and it's a sale with a licensed carrier.

"It's further endorsement that our business model is right."

Farrow said metromesh planned to sign 500 customers in the first year. The wireless network could be used by tourists, visiting business people and locally based corporate customers.

Farrow said the advantages of wireless technology for corporates include increased connection flexibility and improved security for network access.

He added that the RoamAD model could target specific floors of multi-storey buildings and even track potential customers by monitoring signals transmitted by laptops.

"We can say, there was a new user, there's a lot of traffic through this mall or cafe, so we can refocus our aerials down into those areas. It gives us a great ability to tune to where the traffic is."

RoamAD is a privately owned company set up in 2001 to commercialise wireless technology.

It recently deployed a wireless network along an 8km stretch of interstate highway in Arizona. Used by police, fire, ambulance and border patrol, the network provides voice and data services, including transmission of maps, photographs and real-time video.