Altai Technologies uses smart antenna technology for its next generation municipal WiFi product

Mar 2, 2007 14:37 GMT  ·  By

Heartland Communications has been named an authorized US distributor of Altai Technologies' WiFi cellular base station, a new generation of metropolitan wireless broadband products based on smart antenna technology. Altai Technologies' A8 base station provides a larger WiFi coverage area and constitutes a less expensive alternative for deploying metropolitan WiFi networks. The smart antenna signal processing technologies were developed by Altai Technologies using knowledge gained by developing the remote sensing capabilities used by NASA to view Mars' surface.

Lowell Todd, President of Heartland Communications, believes that Altai Technologies' solution is a major breakthrough for municipal applications: "People who live in small-to-medium sized communities have limited and often expensive choices for broadband access. This solution allows municipalities to provide a cost-effective, necessary service to their citizens while providing a solid return on their investment. This is the kind of responsible win-win solution most municipalities are looking for."

With Altai Technologies' solution, setting up a WiFi cellular base system is easier and much less expensive compared to conventional mesh systems. Using today's standard mesh technology, about 15 to 30 units are required to provide a square mile of coverage. Altai Technologies' higher reach technology requires significantly fewer units per square mile of coverage with savings of up to 40% over conventional mesh systems.

"The US market is perfect for Altai's cellular WiFi base station," said Chi Hung Lin, CEO and President of Altai Technologies, "with large geographic spaces, an educated, technologically 'tuned-in' population and municipal managers with the drive to deliver superior service that is reliable and extremely reasonable. We are pleased to be able to partner with a company like Heartland that has the know-how to market, deliver and maintain our system to our new base."

Specifications of Altai Technologies' A8 base station can be found here.