BigAir
Encyclopedia
BigAir is a telecommunications company in Australia
listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX
).
BigAir manages one of the largest metropolitan fixed wireless
networks in Australia which provides coverage across the seven major metropolitan areas including Sydney
, Melbourne
, Brisbane
, Gold Coast
, Adelaide
, Perth
and Newcastle
.
They provide an alternative to the Australian terrestrial networks including DSL and the National Broadband Network
with symmetric Internet access
services at speeds up to 1000Mbps using a WiMAX
network.
networks should not be confused with Wi-Fi
. Wi-Fi is a Wireless Local Area Network protocol designed for short range, in-building portability. Fixed Wireless is typically a WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network) using radio spectrum
with strict controls on the contention and serves much greater distances.
All radio spectrum
in Australia is licensed and regulated by the ACMA
(Australian Communications Media Authority). Despite claims to the contrary, there is no such thing as unlicensed spectrum. Class license spectrum is designed for the co-existence of multiple users, so the maximum transmit power levels are restricted. Wireless carriers have designed their networks for these power conditions. Apparatus Licences apply to equipment operating in specific locations and the spectrum is closely regulated to minimise interference. Higher power levels are allowed under apparatus licences, which may result in longer range and higher data rates.
technology from T3 Wireless, a subsidiary of Pacific Internet
.
The iBurst business was shut down in 2009.
In April 2010 BigAir acquired Wizz Communications. The acquisition of this wholesale fixed wireless point-to-point business gave BigAir new base stations in the major cities.
In July 2010 BigAir announced it has acquired the assets and customer base of the wholesale broadband division of Star-Tech Communications.
In January 2011 BigAir announced its intention to complete its acquisition of Clever Communications located in Melbourne, Australia.
Also in January 2011 BigAir announced its acquisition of AccessPlus. AccessPlus specialises in providing outsourced managed Internet services to tertiary student accommodation. It’s a company that is over 10 years old, and has 20+ sites under management in long-term contracts. The investment by BigAir was $5 million.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX
ASX
ASX may refer to:* Australian Securities Exchange, the primary stock exchange of Australia* Advanced Stream Redirector, a computer file format listing Windows Media files * Armstrong Siddeley ASX, a British experimental turbojet* John F...
).
BigAir manages one of the largest metropolitan fixed wireless
Fixed wireless
Fixed wireless is the operation of wireless devices or systems used to connect two fixed locations with a radio or other wireless link, such as laser bridge. Usually, fixed wireless is part of a wireless LAN infrastructure. The purpose of a fixed wireless link is to enable data communications...
networks in Australia which provides coverage across the seven major metropolitan areas including Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
.
They provide an alternative to the Australian terrestrial networks including DSL and the National Broadband Network
National Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
with symmetric Internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
services at speeds up to 1000Mbps using a WiMAX
WiMAX
WiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
network.
Fixed wireless
Fixed wirelessFixed wireless
Fixed wireless is the operation of wireless devices or systems used to connect two fixed locations with a radio or other wireless link, such as laser bridge. Usually, fixed wireless is part of a wireless LAN infrastructure. The purpose of a fixed wireless link is to enable data communications...
networks should not be confused with Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
. Wi-Fi is a Wireless Local Area Network protocol designed for short range, in-building portability. Fixed Wireless is typically a WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network) using radio spectrum
Radio spectrum
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies – that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz ....
with strict controls on the contention and serves much greater distances.
All radio spectrum
Radio spectrum
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies – that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz ....
in Australia is licensed and regulated by the ACMA
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
(Australian Communications Media Authority). Despite claims to the contrary, there is no such thing as unlicensed spectrum. Class license spectrum is designed for the co-existence of multiple users, so the maximum transmit power levels are restricted. Wireless carriers have designed their networks for these power conditions. Apparatus Licences apply to equipment operating in specific locations and the spectrum is closely regulated to minimise interference. Higher power levels are allowed under apparatus licences, which may result in longer range and higher data rates.
Milestones
In June 2006, BigAir acquired customers who used the iBurstIBurst
iBurst is a wireless broadband technology originally developed by ArrayComm. It optimizes the use of its bandwidth with the help of smart antennas...
technology from T3 Wireless, a subsidiary of Pacific Internet
Pacific Internet
Pacific Internet was headquartered in Singapore and was the largest telco-independent Internet Communications Service Provider in the Asia Pacific region with direct presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Australia, India, Thailand and Malaysia...
.
The iBurst business was shut down in 2009.
In April 2010 BigAir acquired Wizz Communications. The acquisition of this wholesale fixed wireless point-to-point business gave BigAir new base stations in the major cities.
In July 2010 BigAir announced it has acquired the assets and customer base of the wholesale broadband division of Star-Tech Communications.
In January 2011 BigAir announced its intention to complete its acquisition of Clever Communications located in Melbourne, Australia.
Also in January 2011 BigAir announced its acquisition of AccessPlus. AccessPlus specialises in providing outsourced managed Internet services to tertiary student accommodation. It’s a company that is over 10 years old, and has 20+ sites under management in long-term contracts. The investment by BigAir was $5 million.