Fairpoint will provide WiMAX service in its Northeast markets using equipment from Nortel and Airspan. Fairpoint’s WiMAX network will operate in the 3.65 GHz spectrum band and will be used to deliver broadband to customers who are outside the reach of broadband from their recently acquired wired networks in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Nortel claims this network is the largest announced WiMAX network in the 3.65 GHz band. Fairpoint will use WiMAX (802.16d) for fixed purposes, as opposed to mobile WiMAX (802.16e). The 3.65 GHz spectrum band is not widely used in the U.S. yet, but it may prove to be an enabler of competitive broadband services, especially in rural communities.
