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.
See also
* iBurst
* Austar/Unwired Alliance
* Venturi Transport Protocol
Venturi Transport Protocol (VTP) is a patented proprietary transport layer protocol that is designed to transparently replace TCP in order to overcome inefficiencies in the design of TCP related to wireless data transport. It is owned by Venturi ...
* Exetel
Exetel is an Australian ISP which provides ADSL, web hosting, VoIP, and other internet services to customers across Australia. Exetel's headquarters are in offices in Sydney, and its switching centres are distributed in capital city secure dat ...
References
External links
*
Unwired Message Board
Australian companies established in 2000
Telecommunications companies of Australia
Companies based in Sydney
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