GO Networks Product Accepted By U.S. Rural Development Telecommunications Program
Mountain View, CA - GO Networks, a global leader in carrier-class outdoor Wi-Fi solutions, and subsidiary of NextWave Wireless Inc., recently announced that its innovative Mobile Broadband Wireless (MBW) product family has gained Rural Development Telecommunications Program product acceptance. Rural Development, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, grants product acceptance to suppliers based on a wide range of operational and manufacturing criteria. By gaining acceptance, service providers and municipalities will be able to apply Rural Development loans to purchase GO Networks' MBW family of carrier-grade outdoor Wi-Fi products.
GO Networks is recognized as a leader in carrier-grade outdoor Wi-Fi solutions. The company's xRF smart antenna technology significantly improves outdoor Wi-Fi performance, coverage, and economics; making it especially well-suited for rural applications. GO Networks' high-powered Wi-Fi solutions provide superior coverage using a fraction of the equipment required by previous systems and at a fraction of the cost - a winning combination for service providers and municipalities deploying Wi-Fi networks required to cover large rural areas.
Since 2002, the Rural Development agency has been accelerating wireless broadband initiatives in rural communities throughout America. A new $100 million grant has been recently authorized by the President of the United States and Congress to expand the Rural Development loan program to provide broadband services for additional rural communities with up to 20,000 residents.
Since inception, the program has approved 70 loans in 40 states, representing a total of 582,000 household subscribers in 1,263 communities. Approximately 40 percent of these communities had no form of wireless service at the time of the loan approval, and an additional 15 percent were served by only one provider. As a result of the new loan program, 38 loans are now in progress, and the current portfolio of active projects is expected to deliver wireless broadband services to 987 rural communities.
"Obtaining Rural Development Telecommunications Program product acceptance is a significant milestone for GO Networks," said Oz Leave, CEO of GO Networks. "We look forward to the opportunity of providing rural communities throughout America with access to essential communications, information, and education via our world-class Mobile Broadband Wireless products and technologies."
SOURCE: GO Networks