ISP-Planet Wireless News Briefs - December 6, 2000

• SWOMI Launches as Advertised
• National Wireless Provider Birthed
• Satellite Receives FCC Blessing

by Gerry Blackwell

Believe It
Controversial high-speed wireless network provider BIFS Technologies Corp. of Sarasota Fla. launched its SWOMI service in the Myrtle Beach SC area on December 1, as promised.

On November 30, BIFS announced the system was complete and would be available beginning the next day to customers at the following hotels: the Caravelle Hotel, the Caravelle Towers, the St. Johns Hotel, the St. Clements Hotel, the Sea Island Resort, and the Tropical Shores.

The SWOMI system was developed by BIFS's Beach Access division, which is headquartered in South Carolina. It purportedly delivers T1 Internet connectivity with a break-through cellular-like roaming capability.

BIFS says the technology uses a proprietary "seek and switch" feature that allows users to access the Internet from within their hotel rooms, throughout the common areas of the resorts, and facilitates seamless roaming as customers move about the grounds of the resorts.

The system was designed to provide built-in signal management and automatically switches from one cell to another as it detects variances in the signal strength or as the user moves in and out of coverage zones.

BIFS was embroiled in controversy earlier in the year when participants at some online investment bulletin boards questioned whether the company really had the technology and whether it could actually do what BIFS said it could do.

The company subsequently announced it was enlisting the support of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and law enforcement officials to crack down on what it suggested were attempts by competitors to destroy its reputation.

A recent ISP Planet item on BIFS drew passionate responses from both supporters (hopeful investors) and skeptics who believed SWOMI was a scam.

"With the SWOMI network now operational in the Myrtle Beach resort area, the company expects to realize a steadily expanding revenue stream as the system is used by guests of these hotels and the network becomes more widely adopted," said BIFS chairman and CEO Al Keyser.

The company will continue to target high-density resort areas as the first phase of a "multifaceted" nation-wide marketing strategy. The Gulf Coast of Florida is the next place the service will pop up, and BIFS says it is now marketing to resorts in Hawaii.
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Another One Hits the Air
Dallas-based airBand Communications Inc. is the latest wireless ISP start-up to promise a national roll-out of wireless service in the 5.8GHz (UNII) band. At least one other company, Fuzion Communications of Boca Raton, has announced similar plans.

AirBand officially launched high-speed wireless Internet services in Dallas late last month. The company had been providing commercial service to customers in the city since September.

With $45 million in first-round funding, mainly from three venture capital firms—Battery Ventures, Crescendo Ventures, and Sevin Rosen Funds—airBand says it plans to be the country's first true national wireless broadband service provider.

The company expects to deploy service in 10 top U.S markets by the end of the year and 120 markets by the end of 2003.

AirBand uses Cisco equipment operating in the unlicensed 5.8GHz band, but company CEO Andrew Lombard recently told Wall Street Reporter Magazine that airBand would deploy services using the more popular 2.4GHz band as well.

In officially launching the service in Dallas, the company also announced it had been accorded Cisco Powered Network status by the network equipment vendor. Service providers under the program demonstrate maintenance of high levels of network quality by building services with Cisco equipment.
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The Satellites Are Coming, Hurrah!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took the first step recently towards increased use of satellites to provide direct-to-customer transmission services, including high-speed Internet access.

The Commission says the new services could be used to deliver "a wide array of video programming, including local television and data services" in both urban and rural areas.

The action the commission took was to adopt a First Report and Order (R&O) to permit non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite service (FSS) providers to operate in various segments of the Ku-band (11.7 to 12.7 GHz). It also adopted rules and policies to govern these operations.

The Commission has concluded that a new terrestrial fixed Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service (MVDDS) could operate in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band on a "non-harmful" interference basis with satellite broadcasters already operating in these frequencies.

NGSO FSS providers would have to share spectrum with satellite broadcaseters using geostationery satellites. The Commission has also adopted "technical criteria" that will allow this to happen without causing "unacceptable" interference to incumbents or unduly limiting their flexibility.

At the same time, the Commission adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on technical and service rules for licensing the MVDDS.
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