West Virginia University (WVU) has partnered with AIR.U to become the nation's first school to offer "Super Wi-Fi," VentureBeat.com reported.
The school uses dead television channels and their TV radio signals to provide a new kind of Wi-Fi that extends farther than normal. The signal is said to reach six miles and be as fast as ten Mbps.
AIR.U (Advanced Internet Regions) is a consortium of higher education institutions, public interest groups and tech companies devoted to provide upgraded broadband networks to needing schools. Google and Microsoft are both involved in AIT.U's goal to provide "Super Wi-Fi" through unused TV channels.
The Federal Communications Commission coined the term "Super Wi-Fi" in 2010. It works by using the TV band White Space frequencies for broadband. Super Wi-Fi uses frequencies much lower than typical Wi-Fi, allowing the signal to reach farther.
"It could be an emergency to where you are going to need Wi-Fi in those places," Cody Elkins, a WVU sophomore told WBOY. "So personally I think it's going to help a lot, and will be really relevant to me and help me in my studies."
AIR.U co-founder Bob Nichols told Venture Beat that no special equipment is needed to access "Super Wi-Fi" because the local connection to students' laptops is done via standard Wi-Fi.
"Super Wi-Fi presents a lower-cost, scalable approach to deliver high-capacity wireless networks," Nichols said. "We're looking to approach the surrounding county about this, and other applications for remote communities are possible."
Super Wi-Fi allows for an Internet connection in places on campus where students meet that previously could not receive one.
"Not only does the AIR.U deployment improve wireless connectivity for the PRT system, but also demonstrates the real potential of innovation and new technologies to deliver broadband coverage and capacity to rural areas and small towns to drive economic development and quality of life, and to compete with the rest of the world in the knowledge economy," WVU Chief Information Officer John Campbell said in a statement.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller said this new innovative broadband network hopes to expand AIR.U's technology throughout the state and then the nation.
"Wireless broadband is an important part of bringing the economic, educational, and social benefits of broadband to all Americans," he said in a statement. "The lessons learned from this pilot project will be important as Congress continues to look for ways to expand broadband access and advance smart spectrum policy."
