Your Local Alternative to DSL and Cable

Released 11/13/2006

From the Coffee shop to Your Front Door: IntelliWave delivers Wi-Fi to the home with the help of AEP Ohio.

IntelliWave, an Athens, Ohio based Wireless Internet Service provider announced today that it has deployed a new high speed wireless “Mesh” network that broadcasts from AEP Ohio utility poles. IntelliWave is the first service provider in Ohio to have such an arrangement with AEP Ohio.

According to AEP Ohio spokesperson Tim Seyfang, Athens District manager-distribution services, “We are exited that our infrastructure provides a basis for innovation and an opportunity for an Ohio company to deliver new services to residents.”

In neighborhoods where the service is deployed, called “IntelliZones” by the company, consumers now have a wireless alternative to traditional cable and phone company Internet services. According to Chris Cooper, IntelliWave managing partner, “Just as consumers at home are leaving land-line phone services behind in favor of cellular phones, consumers will increasingly leave behind their land-line cable and DSL internet service to take advantage of the lower cost, higher speed and portability of high speed wireless Internet. Google is doing it in California, IntelliWave is doing it right here in Athens, Ohio.”

So why use AEP electric poles to deliver Internet service? Utility poles, regularly spaced at street level, make the perfect launching point for municipal-scale wireless Internet deployments. Internet companies and municipalities are increasingly interested in developing wireless Mesh networks at street level Chris Cooper adds “By utilizing existing structures to deliver our service, we do not have to put up additional unsightly obstructions or towers. This creates a valuable new communications asset while preserving the aesthetic integrity of our community.”

How do Athens City residents living in an IntelliZone access the service? “The service is accessed the same way you connect to the Wi-Fi signal at a coffee shop or other “hotspot,” explains Chris Cooper. “You simply open a web browser from any laptop or PC that has an installed wireless card, select the IntelliWave signal, and Log In.” Mr. Cooper also noted that IntelliWave has a list of recommended wireless cards on its website that will provide the best results when using the service. Google and other large scale Wi-Fi services provide similar recommendations.

The service was launched in select Athens neighborhoods and is being offered free of charge until June, 2007. At the end of this trial period the service will expand to cover an ever-increasing percentage of Athen’s residential housing. The cost is expected to be 25% – 50% lower than current high speed Internet alternatives. Live IntelliZones include the Palmer and Mill Street area of Athen’s East Side. In addition, IntelliZones may be accessed at coffee shops and eateries throughout the Athens area.

To learn more, please browse the site or call 740-592-0322.