Unwired Australia Pty Ltd was an Australian company dedicated to fixed wireless telecommunications network offering carrier grade

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

services. They provided coverage in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and Sydney. Unwired had 52,320 customers and 97 employees. The technology used by Unwired was provided by American manufacturer Navini Networks and Venturi Wireless Solutions. Unwired utilised a wireless network similar to

WiMax Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a family of wireless broadband communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) options. The WiMAX ...

, using base towers that broadcast a microwave signal, offering speeds of up to 1024kbit/s. The Unwired network was the first data only network providing Internet services in Australia. Unwired customers used external modems to connect to the wireless network. Unwired technology was portable, but not mobile - the technology does not operate well while the receiver was in motion. The network operated at 3.5 GHz within a spectrum exclusively reserved for use by Unwired. Unwired offered free technical support 7 days a week plus public holidays.

Optus Singtel Optus Pty Limited (commonly referred to as Optus) is an Australian telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singaporean telecommunications company Singte ...

bought out Unwired and shut down the Unwired network at midnight on 28 February 2013.

Corporate acquisitions

The

Seven Network Limited Seven Group Holdings Limited (SGH, formerly Seven Network Limited) is an Australian diversified operating and investment group in the media, mining and construction industries. History Seven Network Limited was formed in 1991 by receivers t ...

's subsidiary Network Holdings acquired Unwired in 2008 for a reported $127 million. Seven Network Limited owns 50% of the Seven Media Group which owns the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

. At this time Unwired CEO David Spence left the company. Unwired was later consolidated into Seven's wireless broadband division, Vividwireless which was based in Perth. Australia's second largest telecommunications company, Optus, announced in February 2012 that it would buy Vividwireless from its parent Seven Group, for a total cost of $230 million. Optus said this would create a new 4G mobile broadband network in Australia.

Closure

Optus shut down the Unwired network at midnight on 28 February 2013 so that the

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

can be used for its 4G network. Subscribers had to migrate to another internet service provider. Prepaid subscribers were given a refunds on remaining credit and pro-rated refunds on unused data.

References

External links

*
Unwired Message Board
Australian companies established in 2000 Telecommunications companies of Australia Companies based in Sydney {{telecom-company-stub

Corporate acquisitions

Closure

See also

References

External links