With high-speed fiber internet slowly making its way into the urban areas of Yuba and Sutter counties, unWired Broadband announced recently that it is expanding its “fixed wireless” high-speed internet service into Sutter County.
According to officials with the company, the expansion of the service coincides with new towers that have been outfitted with “state-of-the-art unWired NextGen equipment,” which the company said delivers faster speeds at lower prices.
The company said that several rural communities in California suffer from slow or unreliable internet connections due to a lack of cable and fiber infrastructure in place. According to its website, “fixed wireless internet” is a solution for people in these communities.
“Fixed wireless technology utilizes towers that wirelessly deliver internet connections from up to 10 miles away,” the company says on its website. “Technicians use a small radio and antenna near your building or home to establish a line-of-sight connection to a local tower for optimal signal strength, which is then connected to your router.”
The company said that compared to other rural internet options, its fixed wireless networks are more reliable due to the close proximity of transmission towers. These networks also are less prone to outages from weather conditions like rain or extreme heat, the company claims.
The internet provider, which is based in Fresno, said access will be provided to both homes and businesses in the county.
“We are thrilled to announce our expansion and provide top-quality internet to communities in Yolo and Sutter counties,” Peter Sorensen, CEO of unWired Broadband, said in a statement. ”We are confident that our unWired NextGen equipment will provide business and residents with the best possible internet experience.”
Previously, unWired only provided internet services to areas in Central California, but is now expanding to Northern California. The company said an advantage of fixed wireless internet in Central California is that the region’s relatively flat terrain makes it easier to obtain line-of-sight connections, due to fewer “obstructions” such as hills or large trees.
Officials said more expansions are planned this year as the company looks to provide services to “underserved communities.”
Founded in 2003, unWired Broadband covers more than 17,000 square miles with 180 tower sites that are strategically located to cover communities that it said have been ignored by cable and fiber internet providers. To learn more, visit www.getunwired.com.
