Cal-Ore Selects PureWave Networks as Its Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) Infrastructure Supplier

Cal-Ore Communications, Inc. has selected PureWave Networks, a provider of compact 4G wireless base stations, as its supplier of Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) infrastructure.  

In a release, Charles Boening, Cal-Ore's Network Manager, said, "When we began to roll-out 3.65GHz equipment one of our main concerns was maximizing the coverage area. After-all, the reason operators are still using old, slow equipment in the noisy 900MHz band is because of the band's supposedly superior propagation characteristics. However, we were excited to discover that using PureWave's gear we were able to achieve similar coverage in the 3.65GHz band as we were seeing with our legacy 900MHz equipment but deliver up to five times the capacity we were seeing with our legacy system."

The rapidly expanding network, which covers close to 200 square miles, already includes 16 base stations and has a population of around 50,000 across rural California and Oregon. The network provides business and resident customers within these rural communities with a range of broadband services. Cal-Ore is keen on further enhancing its service package portfolio with phone services over its network with expansion plans to cover more area within the next few months.

Daniel Redmond, VP of Sales & Marketing for Moonblink Communications, said, "Many of our customers are realizing that PureWave's smart antenna technology allows them to achieve coverage equivalent to a 900MHz system in the 3.65GHz band, but to deliver substantially more capacity over those same distances.”

Functioning in the semi-licensed 3.65GHz band, Cal-Ore is currently using Quantum 6636 base stations from PureWave to facilitate a complete overhaul of its slower network equipment functioning within 900MHz and 2.4GHz bands.

Dan Picker, PureWave's CTO, said, "The 3.65GHz band offers a unique opportunity for smaller operators and private network owners. For one, FCC licensing requirements provide easy access to the band, while keeping out noisy consumer devices such as cordless phones, garage door openers and WiFi routers. This leaves 50MHz of often pristine spectrum, ideal for broadband wireless services. The Achilles heel of the band has always been range; however PureWave's smart antenna technology, combined with 802.16e technology, overcomes this challenge, allowing operators to achieve roughly the same coverage area that is achievable in the noisy 900MHz band, while delivering much higher sector capacity. Expect to see a mass migration of WISPs and private network operators into the band as they move to take advantage of this opportunity."