WiMAX - The New Way to Access the Internet!
WiMAX is a new technology with tremendous potential and Quad-Cities Online is currently building one of the first WiMAX networks in the country!
So, what is WiMAX?
WiMAX is as a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of wireless high-speed access as an alternative to wired access options such as cable and DSL. WiMAX provides fixed, nomadic, portable, and even mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight. It allows a user, for example, to browse the Internet on a laptop computer without physically connecting the laptop to a router, hub or switch via an Ethernet cable.
While WiMax allows for high portability, it is not strictly a mobile service. The WiMax equipment will be both fixed and mobile, meaning certain customers may require an outdoor antenna while other customers will have an indoor antenna or even the option of a laptop card. Customers with indoor equipment and/or laptop cards will have portability of service allowing for roaming Internet connectivity within the radii of our towers, but not throughout the entire metro area.
Where will WiMAX be available?
Current projections show strong service coverage in the Illinois Quad-Cities covering most areas in East Moline, Moline, Coal Valley, Silvis, Milan, and Rock Island with future expansions to cover customers in other areas of Illinois as well as in Iowa.
If you would like to be contacted when our WiMax is available, please call our office at 309-757-5037 or E-mail us at support@qconline.com.
Progress on our WiMAX Network!
April 7, 2008
We have installed an update on our ASG (Access Service Network Gateway) that should resolve some connectivity issues. We are also testing an outdoor antenna which will help us reach more customers.
March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day! We have selected 25 customers for real-world testing. We our in the process of contacting these residential and business customers and we will begin installing systems as early as tomorrow. We expect to have all 25 connected by March 25. The results of the testing will determine how we proceed with adding new customers.
Feb. 22, 2008
Our IT staff has completed an extensive training course from Nortel on various sectors of the WiMAX network. In addition, we have placed an order for 100 WiMAX receivers and plan to start extensive testing with our existing residential and business customers.
Jan. 23, 2008
The Nortel RF engineers have completed their work. Quad-Cities Online personnel are testing the equipment throughout the signal areas. We are leaning more about the indoor receivers capabilities and range. We have also delivered a indoor receiver to Black Hawk College for them to test throughout their campus.
AAA Server to Arrive: The Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting server performs the following functions in the WiMAX network:
- authentication, which validates the subscriber that requests a service or services
- authorization, which grants access to a service or services based on restrictions for the subscriber, the nature of the service, and the state of the system
- accounting, which generates billing information for the subscriber for use of network resources
Simply, this is the equipment that allows us to add subscribers to the WiMAX network. Nortel personnel will be installing server and configuring the software as early as Monday next week.
Jan. 10, 2008
Nortel RF engineers arrived this week and are busy optimizing and testing the network. They expect to be here for two weeks. We are also continuing testing our indoor receivers and laptop cards. We successfully connected to the WiMAX network from within the Moline Dispatch building, using just the indoor receiver. The Moline Dispatch building is listed as a "Fall Out Shelter" so this is very encouraging news on the potential coverage area.
Check back next week for more information as we continue testing.
Dec. 18, 2007
Indoor CPE Testing: We received our first indoor radio/receivers today. A representative from Nortel is configuring and testing the performance of the equipment today. This is the type of equipment that most of our customers will use to access the WiMAX network.
Dec. 13, 2007
Good news: The radio frequency engineers from Nortel, who were expected to arrive during the second week of January, are now expected next week (Dec. 17). They will be optimizing our signal so we can reach the greatest number of people with our first three towers.
We are also expecting our first shipment of indoor and outdoor Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to arrive any day. This equipment will be used for testing and will be the type of equipment that most of our subscribers will be using to connect to the WiMAX network.
So what is involved with building a WiMAX network? Read about the physical installation that took place in November 2007. GO >>