Wireless One Achieves Another First - First Statewide
System First Cellularized Wireless Video System Covers
Mississippi
July 28, 1998
JACKSON, Miss., July 27 /PRNewswire/ via NewsEdge
Corporation -- Wireless One, Inc. (Nasdaq: WIRL)
announced today the completion of its video broadcast
system serving the entire state of Mississippi.
Henry M. Burkhalter, President and CEO announced the
historic accomplishment, "Wireless One is pleased to
announce another first. We were first to sign a marketing
alliance with DIRECTV(R), first to launch a two-way,
high-speed wireless data service and now the first
wireless provider in the U.S. to complete a statewide
wireless video delivery system. We have worked for the
last four years to accomplish this build out. Hardin and
Associates, a Virginia Beach-based, nationally
recognized wireless communications engineering firm,
have confirmed that our engineering provides signal to
over 95% of the Mississippi population. Wireless One's
engineering staff worked with consultants and
equipment vendors to 'push the envelop' on broadband
wireless repeater technology. We created an entirely new
technology. Wireless One drove the development of
equipment to create cellularized repeater technology.
These repeaters are engineered and placed to deliver the
Wireless One signal to rural and metropolitan areas in
Mississippi which otherwise could not receive our
signal."
Burkhalter summarized, "In order to meet our
commitments and our business plan, Wireless One took
a page from the cellular industry. We built a series of
eighteen repeaters across Mississippi to rebroadcast the
signal from our nine primary broadcast towers in
Jackson, Indianola, Oxford, Bude, Gulfport, Hattiesburg,
Meridian, Starkville and Tupelo. It took over four years
to engineer the system, develop the technology and
locate and construct the towers. As a result, we can
market our wireless video service to an additional 20% of
Mississippi's population. We will begin marketing to
them in Fourth Quarter."
George W. Harter, Executive Vice President and Chief
Technical Officer of Hardin and Associates, applauded
Wireless One's industry leadership, " Henry Burkhalter
and his staff at Wireless One continue to demand new
and effective ways to use the MMDS spectrum. We
have worked with them over the past four years to create
a completely new application of wireless video
technology. The challenge they gave Hardin was
monumental - engineer statewide coverage. We
addressed issues of terrain, heavy forest coverage and
substantial dispersal of population. The vision and
dedication of Wireless One to invent the technology,
engineer and build out the state of Mississippi
encouraged our staff to do something that no one had
ever done before. We are proud to be partners with
Wireless One in completing this historic venture."
Nancy Bonar, Vice President-Marketing/Business
Development for COMWAVE(TM), a
Pennsylvania-based wireless cable transmission systems
manufacturer echoed Harter's sense of history and
accomplishment, "Wireless One really pushed us to
expand the high-power, broadband multicarrier
transmitter technology which repeated thirty-one
channels simultaneously. Burkhalter and his staff
understood the challenge and the potential of creating a
cellularized repeater technology. No one in the industry
had the foresight or courage to take the chance. After
two years of intensive effort and considerable expense,
Wireless One is the first and only wireless cable provider
to offer high power repeater service in the United States.
They are the only provider with an integrated, statewide
system. COMWAVE is honored to be a partner in
creating this new technology and application of wireless
cable service."
Andrew Kreig, President of Wireless Communications
Association, International, the trade association for the
wireless broadband industry, commented, " Henry
Burkhalter and Wireless One are a leader in the fixed
wireless industry providing broadband video and data
services. They are constantly seeking and using new
applications of the wireless spectrum. At a recent
national industry convention in Philadelphia WCA called
on Henry Burkhalter and Kelly Balius, Vice President of
Engineering at Wireless One, to share with the rest of the
industry how they had completed the statewide service.
Wireless One is held in high regard as an innovator and
industry leader."
Wireless One, Inc. is a wireless broadband operator that
provides wireless video and data transmission services
over its own Multichannel Multipoint Distribution
Service (MMDS) and Wireless Communication Services
(WCS) spectrums to subscribers in the Southeast U.S.
The Company targets its services to residences,
businesses and apartments.
Wireless One currently operates 37 systems. It has the
rights to 46 other markets that represent future
development markets. The Company takes advantage of
geographically clustered systems for cost-effective
delivery of its video and data transmission services in
the Southeast U.S.
SOURCE Wireless One, Inc.
/CONTACT: Walt Eilers, Wireless One, 601-933-6708/
/Company News On-Call: prnewswire.com or
fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 109803/ /Web site:
wireless-one.com (WIRL)
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