RoamAD’s World First: Mobile voice over Wi-Fi at more than 130km/h
RIO RICO, Arizona and AUCKLAND, New Zealand—February 23, 2005— The world’s first highway Wi-Fi mobile voice network has
been successfully tested on a US interstate highway – the Canamex Interstate Highway (I-19) from Rio Rico to a point
south of Green Valley, Arizona.
New Zealand-based RoamAD, a leading supplier of infrastructure-mesh solutions for scalable metro Wi-Fi networks, today
announced that Wi-VOD Corporation deployed the RoamAD technology as part of a United States Department of Homeland
Security grant, managed by the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council.
The network will service First Responders (Police, Fire, Ambulance, and Border Patrol), with various community agencies,
schools, business and local residents being added as the deployment expands beyond its targeted coverage areas.
Commenting on the test Chief Mike Foster, Rio Rico Fire Department said: “We needed to increase our ability to
communicate in the field. Having mobile voice and high-speed Internet access in our mobile units on the highways
delivers what we are looking for. The speed at which the mobile VoIP worked was very impressive. It will greatly
increase our in-field communications and effectiveness,” he said.
Wi-VOD demonstrated the first phase of the network, 4.9 miles (8 km), earlier this month. The network contained four
RoamAD network nodes located on average 1.2 miles (less than 2 km) apart and interconnected wirelessly. The network will
be expanded to cover 32 continuous miles (54 km) of highway and is scheduled for completion before May of this year.
The RoamAD solution is specifically optimized to support mobile voice over IP (VoIP).
Wi-VOD was able to make multi-party VoIP conference calls at speeds in excess of 130 kilometres per hour (80mph)
sustained over the entire network.
RoamAD has been supplying mobile data and mobile VoIP Wi-Fi networks for over two years.
“We are pleased to assist Wi-VOD in deploying the first network of its kind in the USA that offers high-quality,
high-speed mobile voice over a Wi-Fi network,” said Craig Cameron, CEO, RoamAD.
Allan Meiusi, CEO and Founder, Wi-VOD said that Wi-VOD was delighted with the performance of the RoamAD solution. “For
more than a year we’ve been looking to create a network capable of supporting mobile VoIP and data for First Responders
as well as local businesses and residents,” said Mr Meiusi. “Now we have it!”
About RoamAD
RoamADTM supplies scalable metro Wi-Fi networks, highway Wi-Fi networks and campus hotzones.
RoamAD’s radio-agnostic, software-based solution works with industry standard third-party hardware and is optimized to
support high-speed data and mobile voice.
RoamAD has been at the forefront of “metro Wi-Fi” since it deployed the world’s first metro Wi-Fi network in August 2002
in Auckland, New Zealand. The company’s technology roadmap includes WiMAX.
Carriers, ISPs and universities use RoamAD’s scalable metro Wi-Fi networks, campus networks and highway networks to
cost-effectively and efficiently deliver mobile VOIP and high-speed data services in metro areas as well as areas where
there is little or no existing telecommunications infrastructure.