Pipex Communications is one of only two holders of a national WiMAX license in the UK, the other license holder being Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd, the largest telecoms operator in Hong Kong.
In April this year the Stoke Mandeville, UK-based ISP formed Pipex Wireless after Intel Capital invested $25m in the new venture. Speaking to Computer Business Review at that time, chairman Peter Dubens said that Pipex maintained slightly more than 50% of Pipex Wireless, while Intel had slightly less than 50%.
Pipex transferred its entire 3.6GHz UK spectrum license to Pipex Wireless, and it is thought that the venture will start to offer the broadband service using 802.16d fixed WiMAX (Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access) in London and Manchester sometime in 2007.
The company said that a performance trial in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, saw particularly impressive uplink speeds. Pipex says that WiMAX will allow home users and businesses will be able to send email attachments and other large files such as video or audio, at the same speed as typical broadband downloads.
When using an internal antenna, the trail revealed speeds in excess of 2Mbps for a house 1.2 kilometers away from a base station. However, when an external antenna is used, speeds of 10Mbps down and 9Mbps up were achieved.
When the external antenna was used, longer range tests shows that it could achieve 6Mbps down and 4Mbps up when 6 kilometers away from the base station.
The next stage will see the company undertake full commercial trials with a number of local authorities and live customers. It is targeting a number of population centers in 2007. It previously said that it eventually hopes to roll it out to about 50 of the most densely populated areas of the UK.
Currently, UK ISPs can offer fixed-line customers broadband speeds of up to 8Mbps nationally, and up to 24Mbps if the customer resides in an area where there is LLU (local loop unbundling).
Pipex did not respond to Computer Business Review’s request for an interview.
