Saturday, October 18, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Sprint to test wireless, high-speed Internet service

Sprint Corp., the dominant local telephone company serving Southern Nevada, is going wireless on the Internet in a test market in the southwest valley.

The telecommunications giant is involved in "a very small trial" of wireless, high-speed Internet service, Sprint spokeswoman Detra Page confirmed Friday.

While Sprint downplayed the importance of the trial, Jonathan Snyder, chief executive officer of KeyOn Communications, Sprint's partner for the trial, was excited.

Since mid-September, however, it has been providing its technology to Sprint for a trial market test in Coronado Ranch, a residential development in the southwest corner of Interstate 215 and Rainbow Boulevard.

Snyder declined to say how many customers are trying wireless, high-speed Internet service, adding that "customer response has been pretty good."

Sprint's high-speed, wireless Internet service is being offered through American West Homes and directly to new homeowners in the area, Snyder said.

"We've really formed a partnership, and there's a lot of sharing of ideas," Snyder said. KeyOn also offers wireless, high-speed Internet service independently of Sprint.

Snyder points out that wireless Internet service is an alternative to digital subscriber line service, or DSL. DSL provides high-speed Internet service by using the same lines as voice communications, but it has been far less popular nationally than high-speed, cable modems that are offered by companies such as Cox Communications.

Cable modem customers, Snyder said, lead DSL customers by two-to-one nationally, he said. "It's really just a Cox monopoly that we face here in Las Vegas a lot of time," he said.

"The objective is to make sure that (Sprint) provides customers with voice, data and ultimately some kind of video product," he said.

Telephone companies are anxious to offer high-speed Internet service because of growing demand, as more Internet users become tired of slow response times on standard dial-up Internet services.

"There's a huge demand for broad band (high-speed service)," Snyder said.

In the Coronado area, Sprint offers wireless, Internet service for $29.95 for installation plus a $29.95 monthly service fee.