Wireless internet box goes on sale at Cellular One Bermuda

The Royal Gazette

By Scott Neil



A nifty box of wireless internet tricks has arrived in Bermuda, courtesy of CellularOne.

First announced earlier this year, the MV 420 3G Gateway device has gone on sale at CellularOne, allowing the telecommunications company to steal a march on its rivals in the remote/wireless internet world.

The company is able to offer 3G accessibility across the Island, such as the ability to link to broadband internet access anywhere in Bermuda without needing to plug into a landline socket, something the new gadget makes full use of.

The small flat box measures only a few inches across and has four antennae. It is totally portable and runs on a lithium battery allowing it to be used in any outdoor location such as on the beach, in a taxi, on a boat, at a cafe or elsewhere.

Developed in California the device’s two shorter antennae provide WiFi capability allowing it to provide wireless connectivity for internet access to a computer or laptop (or other device) within a range up to 100 metres. This is useful for families with a number of computers in a small area, such as a home, who all want to link to the internet.

For companies it can be useful to have a central “hotspot” hub to allow a number of co-workers to tap into wireless internet from a single source.

The two larger antennae on the device provide “wide-area network” using CellularOne’s third generation (3G) network, giving download speeds of 3.1 mbps and uploads of 2.4 mbps β€” plenty enough to enjoy uninterrupted video playback from the internet, as demonstrated by CellularOne boss Michael Leverock this week.

“It is the next generation from what we previously offered with broadband,” he explained, the new service has been named Rev A and replaces Rev Zero.

“The download is 50 percent faster than previous and the upload is 10 times faster.”

The boxes, costing $429 outright or $35.75 a month to rent until bought, were put on sale three weeks ago and have already attracted buyers, individuals and small businesses.

“It’s faster than a landline. We are introducing cutting edge technology, wireless internet that is less expensive than a landline and has a faster speed.”

Mr. Leverock described the new box as an “intelligent hub”.

The boxes also allow a user to log on to a computer terminal anywhere in the world and access their home or work computer desktop and all its files.

The 3G wireless connectivity is also offered through CellularOne with smaller “air cards” and USB socket “keys” that allow a single computer, such as a laptop, to “plug” into the internet without use of a landline and again, like the MV 420 3G, can be used anywhere.

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