Wireless_broadband

Jeff Green | Jan 26, 2006

Feature Article

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Wireless broadband inSydenham and beyond

by Jeff Green

Kingston-Online Services (KOS) was one of the first Internet service providers to set up shop in Eastern Ontario when they started providing dial-up Internet service in 1993, and they have been aggressively developing a wireless broadband network in an increasingly wide area around Kingston over the past 12 months.

Now, thanks to the 97 foot high antenna on the Sydenham water tower, they will be expanding their service to a wide swath of properties around Sydenham.

At this week’s Council meeting, South Frontenac Council approved a bylaw renting space on the Sydenham water tower to KOS to set up equipment on the water tower that will be able to send a signal to any property within a line of sight to the tower, and many that aren’t even within sight of the tower.

Not wanting to waste any time, KOS had plans to set up their equipment this week in order to have service available as soon as possible. The company has a waiting list of customers in the immediate area, from Sydenham Village to Railton Road and beyond.

“Until we put the equipment up, we won’t know how far the signal will travel,” said a company spokesperson, “but we are hoping to be able to reach Harrowsmith.”

The wireless broadband service that KOS offers is not a satellite based service, and is thus less susceptible to interference due to inclement weather. The company claims the service is comparable with cable or DSL based services in terms of speed, reliability and price.

The equipment in Sydenham will allow a link to the 300’ tower that KOS recently installed on McAdoo Lane, just north of the 401 at Division Street.

KOS has plans to expand services to the north towards Verona in the near future.

South Frontenac Mayor Bill Lake said that the Sydenham water tower was built with rentals such as the KOS one in mind. “There is space for about three more rentals,” he said.