KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Navigata Communications is rolling out a commercial trial of a “Super Wi-Fi” service in Kamloops, B.C., the company announced today. Users will be able to access the Internet throughout the city from any standard Wi-Fi-enabled device. Voice, video, data and web browsing will all be supported on a high-speed, low-latency network. The service will be marketed under Navigata's newest subsidiary, kuMobile.
"We are very excited about bringing this new service to Kamloops," says Owen Gilbert, COO of Navigata Communications. "After months of technical testing, we are looking forward to launching this market trial." KuMobile will use Navigata's licensed 3.5 Ghz spectrum to provide backhaul and connectivity to the Kamloops area. The kuMobile Super Wi-Fi network will support the 802.11n standard delivering throughput up to 160 Mbps.
Eric Unrau, director of marketing at Navigata told Cartt.ca that the trial does not utilize the TV broadcast White Space such as is being used in wireless trials led by Microsoft that also use the term “super Wi-Fi.”
Last month the Wireless Innovation Alliance (whose members include Microsoft, Google and Dell) announced that Wilmington, North Carolina was home to the first non-trial deployment of White Space broadband, a technology that makes use of the unlicensed spectrum vacated from the shift to digital television. In response, the Wi-Fi Alliance “cautioned” in a press release that the use of terminology such as “Super Wi-Fi” or “Next Generation Wi-Fi” for the Television White Spaces implementation will “lead to substantial user confusion.” It maintains that consumers should be aware that recently-announced deployments using terms like “Super Wi-Fi” are not in fact Wi-Fi.
Navigata’s solution is based on the 802.11a/b/g/n wireless standard and employs an advanced antenna design and signal processing to extend the reach of the access points up to 5x that of a standard Wi-Fi access point Unrau explained.
"With this next-gen wireless technology, we can offer better bandwidth to meet the demands of today's mobile consumer for real-time applications like live TV streaming, file and photo sharing, and video calling," states John Ku, president of kuMobile. "These real-time apps have previously been limited by upstream bandwidth." KuMobile will offer monthly subscription services, as well as daily and weekly pre-paid options, to residents, businesses and visitors to the area.
Following a successful commercial trial in Kamloops, Navigata has plans to roll-out Super Wi-Fi service in medium-sized communities across B.C. and Alberta, over the next three years, under the kuMobile brand.
