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California's Largest Fixed Wireless
ISP Joins Key Standards Group Devoted to Furthering Fixed and Mobile
Wireless Standards
FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- NextWeb, California's largest
fixed wireless Internet service provider for business, today announced
it has joined the WiMAX Forum(TM), an industry-lead organization that
promotes the interoperability and certification of broadband wireless
products based on the IEEE 802.16 standard. NextWeb has for years been
using microwave wireless equipment based on technology that in part
forms the basis for WiMAX standards. The company has successfully
built a business over of over 2,000 enterprise customers throughout
California using this technology platform. "We are excited to announce
our joining the WiMAX Forum," said Graham Barnes, NextWeb's Chief
Executive Officer. "We have been using a technology platform for many
years that is similar to what the WiMAX Forum is working to
standardize, and applaud the efforts of its members to further
interoperability, higher performance and greater functionality of
fixed wireless broadband technology. We also appreciate the efforts
the WiMAX Forum has made to increase awareness for this technology, as
that will only help our industry grow. NextWeb looks forward to being
an active participant in the WiMAX Forum, and providing significant
feedback from the perspective of one of the nation's leading fixed
wireless broadband operators." Analysts forecast strong growth for the
fixed wireless broadband market. The industry's value, currently
estimated at around $400 million, is expected to quadruple over the
next four years according to a recent New York Times article.
"This year the WiMAX Forum has achieved
a number of major milestones, including the addition of many members
involved in creating wireless technology platforms, and key service
providers such as NextWeb," commented Ron Resnick, WiMAX Forum
President and Chairman. "We are glad to see NextWeb become a member,
and look forward to their contribution to the WiMAX Forum's mission."
NextWeb's business-class Internet service is available in more than
175 cities throughout California. The industry-leading service
typically saves businesses thousands of dollars per year by
eliminating the high cost of a traditional T1 from the phone company.
Because NextWeb owns and maintains its own independent
telecommunications network and connects directly to the Internet
backbone, the company's service completely bypasses telephone and
cable companies, providing customers with significantly more bandwidth
at substantially lower startup and monthly costs. The fixed-wireless
company guarantees its high-speed Internet service will be up and
running for its customers in three to seven business days, compared to
weeks or months typically associated with larger wireline carriers.
About The WiMAX Forum(TM)
The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led, non-profit corporation formed to
promote and certify the compatibility and interoperability of
broadband wireless products using the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN
wireless MAN specifications. The forum's goal is to accelerate the
introduction of these devices into the marketplace. WiMAX Forum
Certified(TM) products will be fully interoperable and support
Metropolitan Broadband Fixed, Portable and Mobile Applications. For
more information about the WiMAX Forum and its activities, please
visit http://www.WiMAXForum.org .
About NextWeb
NextWeb, Inc. is California's largest fixed-wireless Internet service
provider for business, providing high-speed service to more than 2,000
enterprise customers. In 2004, the company was named one of the 50
fastest growing Bay Area companies by all three leading business
publications in the region. NextWeb's service is available to over
200,000 business locations in more than 175 cities throughout
California. Typically installed in just three to seven days, NextWeb's
standard Super-T service is 30 percent faster than a T1 at 70% of the
price, easily scaling to six times the speed of a T1. The company is
active in the formation of industry standards, and is a member of the
WiMAX Forum and the Wireless Communications Association International
(WCA). NextWeb is profitable and is backed by strategic investors
including Asset Management Partners, Cedar Grove Investments, Kaiser
Permanente, Monet Capital, Saints Capital, Sage Venture Partners, and
Sunsino VentureGroup. Additional company information is available at
http://www.nextweb.net .
WiMAX Forum(TM) and WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) are registered
trademarks of the WiMAX Forum. |
