Rural wireless BB service delays launch

Not enough kit certified

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 18th August 2003 15:51 GMT

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Lincolnshire-based ISP WRBB has delayed the launch of its rural wireless broadband service because it is still waiting for equipment to be officially certified.

The service - called Sunshine - was due to go live at the end of September, covering East Midlands and East Anglia before being made available nationwide by the end of 2005.

Now, though, the company has had to inform potential punters that the "countdown" to the launch has been halted and it won't be restarted until the necessary hardware is certified.

In a message posted on its web site, WRBB reports that while the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) approved and ratified the 802.11g standard on 12 June 2003, the WiFi Alliance has yet to complete its testing. So far, only eight products have got the thumbs up.

WRBB sales and marketing director David Acton told The Register: "Until the hardware is certified, we can't roll-out the service."

The company has put pressure on the WiFi Alliance - a group of wireless LAN manufacturers and vendors that runs a scheme to ensure that any certified device will interoperate with all other certified devices - to complete its work, but at the moment it's unclear when that might be. ®