Mauritius to go wireless

Mauritius, a remote, mountainous island in the South West Indian Ocean, is slated to get a 100-square-mile broadband wireless network from Navini Networks.

The decision to install the non-line-of-sight, wide-area infrastructure was made by Mauritius telecommunications provider ADB Networks after ADB decided the rugged terrain of the island ruled out DSL or cable broadband.

Announced Wednesday [US], Navini and ADB said the wide-area network will be the first complete nationwide deployment of broadband access for the island. In a statement, Roger Dorf, president and chief executive officer of Navini, said: "They will be superbly positioned to take advantage of next-generation mobile broadband wireless access, 802.16e-based WiMAX."

The Navini system is powered by smart antennas that enable wide-area coverage consisting of miles from base stations. Navini said its "zero-install solution" enables users to quickly get up and running with the system.

"We looked at other high-speed broadband options and in our scenario, DSL and cable modem were not viable options," said ADB chief executive officer Rizwan Rahim in a statement. "The rugged terrain of Mauritius requires a solution with no line of sight and cost effective deployment."

The island, which has a 35-mile-long mountain range rising in a high plateau, has some 1.2 million potential users, Rahim said.

Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Navini said 30 commercial networks of its technology have been installed. The firm is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum.