Telecommunications and tech company, Astound, plans to expand its services to provide more than 6,000 underserved homes and businesses around Whidbey with access to its new fixed wireless high-speed internet over the following weeks, according to the firm.
The company is an established internet provider on and off the island, using traditional cable and fiber-to-home networks to provide internet, Wi-Fi, mobile, TV and fiber-optic solutions around the nation.
Senior Vice President and General Manager Jared Sonne, from the Astound West Region, said the business is taking its first step into the “next generation” of fixed wireless technology that will allow it to service many previously unreachable homes.
He decided to expand this new service to Whidbey because of the sizable number of homes on the island that didn’t have access to the technology.
“It’s part of our fundamental belief that people in rural areas deserve the same kind of home internet experience, business internet experience as folks who live in metro areas like Seattle,” Sonne said.
The wireless solution technology has several technological advantages over traditional wireless solutions, as the network is designed to overcome many of the issues that you get with other competitive networks, he claimed.
“You know, sometimes they’ll have severe performance drops if there’s heavy foliage, rain or buildings in the area,” Sonne said. “With our technology, we have a point-to-multi-point signal that is designed to serve locations that are difficult to reach, that are blocked by heavy tree coverage or even large buildings in downtown areas, and so it is an excellent technology to get into rural or suburban areas.”
The improved technology has a signal that does not require a line of sight, so it can navigate around obstacles, a factor that has typically prevented traditional wireless networks from working in remote areas, he explained.
The technology can also digitally self-optimize the signal and deliver an almost fiber-like experience, to ensure customers get the “best possible” internet experience, Sonne said.
Sonne claims it’s one of the best performing wireless options in the industry, allowing people to work from home, attend online school, enjoy online entertainment, indulge in online gaming and participate in similar experiences — all available at the same quality that they could get in an urban area.
The technology also delivers less than 10 milliseconds of latency which provides a seamless gaming experience, optimal for those who enjoy playing multiplayer games that rely on instantaneous responses.
“So we’re very, very obviously proud and excited about the technology,” Sonne said. “Deploying this in the Whidbey Island area is part of our phase one launch.”
As there are homes on the island that are already using its traditional wired network, Astound will deploy fixed wireless transmitters from its existing towers. Services will be offered across most of Whidbey, from Oak Harbor down to Langley, except for the very far north and south ends.
“The speed performance that you can get with our network is double, triple what you can get with a cellular-based home internet service and the affordability is much better than what you can get with a satellite,” Sonne enthused.
For installations, employees will consult with homeowners to determine the optimal placement for the lunchbox-sized receiver devices on the exterior of the home, considering both aesthetics and the location that will provide the strongest signal.
The new wireless service will be fully available across the Whidbey area in the coming weeks. Sign up for the service at astound.com/wifi-internet. Clients have the option to join a VIP list if their address isn’t yet serviceable, so when it does launch in the area, they can be first in line.
