Flarion Signs Deal for CellularOne in Amarillo Texas

Wireless

Forgive me for linking to a three day old story, but the fact that we (and almost everyone else) missed this story is a testament to the hype vacuum created by WiMAX — it’s very hard for non WiMAX Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) solutions to get coverage, even if they are commercialized, successful, and more fleshed out than the 802.16 vaporware. To the point, Flarion has logged another success in a deal with CellularOne to provide a 100 sq. mile BWA network in Amarillo. It’s not clear whether CellularOne will target the DSL home market, or the more mobile market, or both. While this important announcement languishes in relative obscurity, the industry has been abuzz with new reports about WiMAX’s promising (and unproven) future, and cities talking up dubious metro WiFi plans. But while the press and conferences focus on discussions of the vaporware, carrier CTOs are much more focused on what will work for their company in the short and medium terms. The CellOne deal is an important win for Flarion, especially with their Nextel prospects in doubt as a side-effect of the Sprint-Nextel merger rumors. (If the merger happens, Nextel would be expected to go to CDMA, not F-OFDM.)