The states wireless communication network is getting broader. FairPoint has 300,000 phone customers in Vermont, most of whom it acquired from Verizon Communications Inc. this year. Three-quarters of them will have access to broadband by the end of the year through their phone lines.

But some phone lines in rural areas extend so far from the phone companys base that the DSL broadband signal doesnt reach the subscriber. For those, FairPoint plans to use wireless WiMax equipment from Nortel Networks Corp. and Airspan Networks Inc., the companies said Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of homes and business could be offered WiMax service, FairPoint spokeswoman Beth Fastiggi said. Prices havent been set.

Unlike cellular broadband cards for laptops, the WiMax antennas wont be portable or usable on the go. The speeds will be comparable to low-end DSL, with downloads of 1 to 3 megabits per second, Nortel said. The transmissions will have a range of a few miles, or up to 10 miles if FairPoints tower has a clear shot to the receiving antenna.

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. are building a network in parts of the country using another WiMax variant that allows for mobile use. AT&T Inc. is using “fixed” WiMax, much like FairPoint plans to do, in two communities in Alaska.

FairPoint also bought the New Hampshire and Maine service areas of Verizon, but hasnt announced whether it will use WiMax there.

Source: caang