WestNet Wireless is a wireless carrier operator based in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta. In early 2008, WestNet Wireless submitted its application to Industry Canada's wireless auction.

History

WestNet Wireless initially wanted to launch custom solutions wireless. Their WestNet-WireCELL solution was announced in early 2001 and integrates mobile and land-line phones allowing much more flexibility and unlimited local calling. WestNet's main market idea would allow any compatible device on his CDMA network and unlimited local calling. Such calling options and phone activation was unheard of in the industry at the time.simontonekham.wordpress.com
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Calgary Wi-Fi network

In 2002, WestNet started to deploy the wide area

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

network using the 802.11b standard. The first communities were Downtown, Calgary, Radisson Heights, Bridgeland,

Victoria Park, Calgary Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown (south of 9th Avenue and the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks), and is sometimes considered part of downtown. The neighb ...

Forest Lawn, Alberta A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

As of July 2010, WestNet was said to have over 15,000 wireless users on the public hotspot.

2013 Alberta floods

During the

2013 Alberta Floods In the days leading up to June 19, 2013, parts of southern and central Alberta, Canada experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding described by the provincial government as the worst in Alberta's history. Areas along the Bo ...

WestNet was the only ISP in affected parts of Calgary. Many users, specifically in southeast downtown Calgary, were surprised to see a single Wi-Fi network SSID "WestNet City Wi-Fi". Many citizens left without electricity for three months were recharging their portable devices at WestNet Wireless trucks such as converted ENG vehicles.

US IP address feature

Many Calgarians sign up to WestNet to utilize its tier 1 backbone connection AS815 to the internet. Using this service they may be able to obtain a US-based

IP address An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...

that many see as a bonus to be able to receive a US IP address.

Custom network

WestNet WireCELL integrates POTS telephone lines and base station controllers; users can operate their land line in the coverage area.

CDMA network

WestNet operates a private

CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communication ...

network. A public CDMA network is in the works.

Services

Free incoming texts

In summer 2008, WestNet said it would never charge for incoming text messaging.

Deploying AMPS analog network

Traya announced he would be interested in deploying an Analog network in Alberta as the current networks operated by competitors are decommissioning Analog Services. He projected that many business and consumers still rely on analog as they are built tens of thousands of vehicles and it would not be practical to consumers to shell out thousands of dollars replacing their car phones at auto dealerships.

References

External links

*http://www.westnet.ca WestNet Wireless Home *http://www.ccts-cprst.ca/1617 WestNet joins the

Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS; French: ''Commission des plaintes relatives aux services de télécom-télévision'', CPRST) is Canada's national, independent and industry-funded organization created to resolv ...

*http://westnet.ca/press/ground_breaking_wireless.htmBusiness In Calgary Article featuring WestNet Wireless *http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/srch/nvgt.do?lang=fre&app=1&prtl=1&sbPrtl=&estblmntNo=234567119439&profile=cmpltPrfl *http://gd.tuwien.ac.at/faqs/allfaqs/comp.mail.maps/UUCP_map_for_u.can.623 *http://start.westnet.ca WestNet Subscriber Start Page {{Canadian mobile phone companies Mobile phone companies of Canada Telecommunications companies established in 1997 Companies based in Calgary 1997 establishments in Alberta