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Conterra Ultra Broadband Launches Wireless Broadband Access Service in 12 School Districts; 74 Districts Under Contract

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

Conterra Ultra Broadband, a national leader in the design, deployment and operation of high capacity, high speed digital microwave networks, today announced the launch of wireless broadband access service in 12 school districts in seven states, representing 132 school sites in the United States. The company is under contract to provide broadband networks that provide fiber quality and speed to an additional 62 districts, in 11 states by the close of 2006.

With connection speeds up to 67 times faster than conventional T-1 lines and cost points at or below traditional broadband alternatives, Conterra arms school districts with enough external bandwidth to support media-rich student curricula, shared learning resources across schools and districts, advanced online training and in-school security.

By relieving district-wide bandwidth barriers, administrators can close the student achievement gap by taking advantage of new digital learning opportunities. In one school with 24 connected classrooms, an estimated 83 to 251 Megabits per second (Mbps) is required to run Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Business Applications, Security Cameras, Interactive Video to the Classroom, Basic Internet and Interactive Video to the Desktop. A majority of rural and outer suburban schools today are experiencing a bandwidth bottleneck with only approximately 1.544 Mbps available per school, or one conventional T-1 line.

Conterra customer Nash-Rocky Mount Schools (N-RMS) in North Carolina recently connected 29 schools via Conterra's licensed microwave broadband network service and is already experiencing positive outcomes.

"Downloading of multi-media education modules that previously took 10 to 20 minutes or more is now done instantly enabling teachers to incorporate distance learning applications efficiently into their daily curricula," said Jim Albright, director of Technology, N-RMS, "And, hundreds of students in any given school can now simultaneously access the Internet at ultra high speeds without creating typical logjams at peak hours."

Nash-Rocky Mount Schools Superintendent Rick McMahon praised all parties involved, "The outstanding teamwork between business and education exhibited in this project will allow our students to have every technological opportunity to be competitive with their peers across the state. We anticipate substantial instructional gains for our students at all grade levels. Our teachers will be able to access information and utilize the latest in instructional strategies to help our students reach their fullest potential. I congratulate all parties involved in transforming our vision into a reality. Our children are the beneficiaries of their hard work."

With the largest installed Federal Communication Commission (FCC) licensed K-12 wireless network in the country, Conterra is helping school districts in 11 states from California to Maine enrich the learning experience of both students and staff.

Conterra employs state-of-the-art point-to-point wide area networks with scaleable bandwidth options from 10 Mbps to 1 gigabit (Gbps). As one of the first wireless access companies to use FCC licensed radio spectrum, customers are insured of interference-free bandwidth with no degradation in quality or speed, and virtually no latency. With fiber-quality service, Conterra can offer Service Level Agreements that guarantee speed and reliability levels equal to and in some cases better than fiber-optic connections.

"While wireless broadband access is a relatively new solution for K-12 schools, the inherent microwave technology is one of the oldest and most reliable technologies in the United States. It was used by major telephone companies long before the advent of fiber optics," said Michael Norris, executive vice president, U.S. Sales and Marketing, Conterra. "By repurposing a widely used technology in a new way, we can offer external broadband service to outer suburban and rural school districts that are not likely to gain access to affordable, high-speed last-mile connections in the near future."

With wireless broadband microwave networks, Conterra is helping America's schools gain ultra high-speed access to the world of advanced digital education.

About Conterra Ultra Broadband

Conterra Ultra Broadband (Conterra, LLC), headquartered in Charlotte, NC is a national leader in the design, deployment and operation of ultra high-capacity, high-speed, digital microwave networks for education, government, healthcare, and small to medium size businesses. With carrier-quality voice and data transport services, Conterra offers customers Service Level Agreements that guarantee speed and reliability levels equal to and in some cases better than fiber-optic connections.

Privately held Conterra was established by the founders and management of Vanguard Cellular System, Inc., one of the first independent cellular companies in the United States started in 1982. Always a technology leader, Vanguard designed, built and operated its own point-to-point microwave broadband network to support wireless voice and data traffic. For more information, visit www.conterra.com or call 877.365.6701.

 Press Contact: Danielle Matthews Pyrus PR for Conterra Ultra Broadband Ph: 704.353.4693 Contact via http://www.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=5DE0270A5D4F5999  

SOURCE: Conterra Ultra Broadband

Source: MARKET WIRE

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