2Mbps WiBE Device Could Fix Rural Broadband

A device which could help solve the rural broadband problem using weak 3G signals. has gone on sale today in Britain and Ireland.

The WiBE uses the 3G network, and can create a Wi-Fi hotspot, even where a phone or MiFi device would not find a signal, according to the maker, Deltenna. First announced in June, it is now gone through tests and is available through resellers.

Downloads of 2Mbps

Connecting the countryside has become a major political issue. The government is pushing Internet connectivity as an essential, and has pledged to reduce the Digital Divide between urban areas with high bandwidth and rural parts of Britain which do not.

The WiBE can reach 7.2Mbps, and has a typical download speed of 2.8Mbps in rural regions, says Deltenna, which reckons it can get about 30 times the throughput of a 3G dongle,  thanks to a set of directional antennas and signal processing algorithms.

WiBE tests each mobile cell in range to find the best signal, and then configures its aerials for the top data rate, and to block interference. It will be available through Ireland’s Cetag, and Buzz Networks in the UK, which sells WiBE with a bundled VoIP service, under the name Hubb@.

Poor rural broadband has become a priority since the Digital Britain report last year highlighted its importance in the country’s economic performance, and the Labour government promised to provide 2Mbps broadband for all citizens by 2012. The conservative Culture seccretary Jeremy Hunt has put that date back till 2015 because of a lack of public funds.

Rural bandwidth was highlighted recently when a pigeon transferred files faster than a broadband-connected PC in Beverley in Yorkshire. Virgin Media has proposed using electricity poles, and a few rural areas have been connected with public support.

WiBE’s UK list price is £425, with lower prices for bulk, and it costs €299 form Cetag.in Ireland.