Internode has begun connecting customers to its new Yorke Peninsula WiMAX network in regional South Australia.

"Through a network of 10 WiMAX base stations using the 3.4 gigahertz licensed spectrum, Internode is achieving transmission speeds as fast as six megabits per second at distances as far as 30km from the tower, as long as good line of sight is available", said an announcement from the ISP.

Internode touts its WiMAX product as the first "region-wide" service, but they are not the first to offer WiMAX in regional Australia. Small QLD provider Buzz has been reportedly been using WiMAX in regional QLD for over a year.

Internode's claim of success will be welcome news to those counting on WiMAX performance in the bush. The OPEL consortium plans to use WiMAX for its massive government subsidised broadband network.

"With WiMAX equipment installed on 10 of our towers, we are providing virtually 100 per cent coverage of the Yorke Peninsula", said Internode managing director Simon Hackett. "All of our base station equipment is now installed, so it’s just a matter of setting up equipment at our customers' premises."

Pricing for the service is the same as Internode's existing "Wireless DSL" services. Customers will use Airspan WiMAX radios mounted on a professional installed mast, with installation subsidised by the Australian Broadband Guarantee for those that are eligible.

Internode says it is considering expanding the network to cover the Coorong region, where it already has some existing wireless infrastructure.

Links:

• Internode announcement  (Internode, 25 Jan 2008)
• Now for the keys to the Opel car  (CommsDay, 24 Jun 2007)
• Optus wins regional broadband funds  (Whirlpool, 18 Jun 2007)
• Australia's First Commercial WiMAX Deployment  (mobilised, 15 Nov 2006)