IN THE AIR

Wireless broadband Internet service is coming to town this week.

Airborne Datalink Inc. will begin serving customers in Onalaska, Holmen and north La Crosse using a new wireless broadband technology the company says is comparable to cable and DSL and dozens of times faster than dial-up service.

Wireless Internet service is nothing new, but Airborne says its system is cheaper and more consumer-friendly.

"This is the first system in the world where the customer picks up the modem, takes it home, plugs it in and they're on our network,". said Andy Tyrrell, a partner in the company. "If you don't make it user-friendly, it's too much work."

"This works on radio frequency," said Tim S. Boyd, the company's president. "The signal's strong enough to penetrate most buildings."

What that means, Boyd said, is that customers won't be tied to a wire in their homes or businesses.

Boyd said the La Crosse area is one of the first in the United States to get the service. Other companies are using the same technology in Georgia and Kentucky.

"This puts us out on the leading edge," said Feroz Ghouse, manager of information systems and technology for the city of LaCrosse.

Airborne plans to offer service in the rest of La Crosse early next year, once it puts an antenna atop Grandad Bluff.

When the system is up and running, the city may consider using it to connect computers in police squad cars, Ghouse said. Because of the lower price, "I would be stupid if I didn't look at it," he said.

Airborne Datalink is a new company, owned by Boyd and Ted Biesanz Sr., both of Winona, Minn., and Tyrrell, of Moline, Ill.

Boyd and Tyrrell both are veterans of the cable TV industry. Boyd handles marketing and sales, while Tyrrell oversees the technology. Biesanz, 83, has started and grown several successful businesses in Winona, Boyd said.

"When we're up in both Holmen and LaCrosse, we'll have upwards of $1 million of investment in place," Boyd said. Mike Hill, a spokesman for Charter Cable, said wireless broadband has been tried and failed in other Charter markets, including Eau Claire, Wis., and Duluth, Minn.

That company, Monet Mobile, required customers to buy a $70 wireless modem and pay $40 a month to subscribe. The company declared bankruptcy in March after a year.

Airborne says its broadband Internet service is different than most anything on the market, including cellular services such as Monet and the Wi-Fi wireless service some consumers are starting to use in airports and Internet cafes.

Wi-Fi has a range of about 300 feet, while wireless broadband has a range of several miles.

With Wi-Fi, users share a connection, but wireless broadband users have a secure connection, Tyrrell said.

Airborne's wireless service is also different than satellite systems like DirecWay, which uses an outdoor dish and equipment costing several hundred dollars to install.

Airborne's wireless service does require a special modem made by Navini Networks (www.navini.com). But unlike cable or DSL service, a technician doesn't have to come to your home, Boyd said.

When a customer signs up, she gets a Navini modem to plug into her home computer. The modem requires an external power source.

Boyd said the "plug-and-play" modem doesn't require any special software and will install itself on the computer.

If a customer does want installation help, it will be available for a fee, Boyd said.

Tyrrell said the modem is worth more than $300, but customers won't have to buy or rent it. If they cancel, however, they have to return the modem.

A radio antenna in the modem transmits data to Airborne's antenna, high atop a cellular tower in Holmen. All data between the customer's computer and the antenna is encrypted, said Tyrrell.

Another secure wireless connection links the tower to Airborne's office on Gillette Street, where the whole thing plugs into AT&T's network, Boyd said.

Airborne's prices start at $24.95 a month for a 256 kbps connection, which is similar to regular DSL speeds. For $34.95, you can get much faster, 1 mbps speed.

For $44.95, Airborne will soon offer 2mbps service, Boyd said.

Initially, Airborne will only be able to serve about 400 customers because Navini hasn't ramped up production of its modems, Tyrrell said. They expect more modems early next year.

Hill said Charter is offering 3mbps downstream service now, and is working on getting even higher speeds.

Airborne also has pricier commercial packages for business, including the ability to get a full wireless T1 connection, he said.

"Competition is always good 'for the community," Ghouse said. Because the technology is new, however, Ghouse said, he expects some "bumps."

Ghouse said wired service may be more reliable than wireless service, which is subject to "atmospheric conditions."

Ghouse and other city officials are. negotiating a lease with Airborne, which wants to put its second antenna on a tower atop Grandad Bluff in La Crosse. The tower was used for police radios, he said.

The LaCrosse Common Council, hasnt yet approved a lease, Ghouse said.

In Holmen, Airborne is using an existing cell phone tower for its antenna, Boyd said.

BUSINESS OF THE WEEK

WHAT: Airborne Datalink Inc., a wireless broadband provider in Onalaska, Holmen and north La Crosse; plans to serve rest of La Crosse early next year

WHO: Owners Tim Boyd, Andy Tyrrell and Ted Biesanz Sr.

WHERE: 709 Gillette St.

CONTACT: (608) 796-1153 and www.airbornedatalink.com

HIGH-TECH GLOSSARY

WIRELESS BROADBAND: Fast Internet service that uses radio waves to connect your computer to the network.

DSL: Digital subscriber line, a fast Internet service offered by phone companies.

CABLE BROADBAND: Fast Internet service provided by cable television companies.

KBPS: Kilobytes per second. Dial-up Internet operates at a maximum of 56 kbps.

MBPS: Megabytes per second, often called "megs" for short.

WI-FI: Wireless fidelity, the short-range wireless network connections you can set up at home, and which are available at Internet cafes. Requires a computer with Wi-Fi built in or a Wi-Fi card.