Jeff Salmon writes:

Technology is expanding and there is nothing to be said or done to prevent the new WiMax  technology that will enable end-users from connecting to the internet by wireless. The new system is being tested now and is scheduled to come on line Mid April or March in Anacortes. Friday Harbor and other communities should be on line soon. This network is sweeping the world with new base towers in India and Europe.

Trees distance and propagation may render the network unavailable to us on Guemes with the exception of the West side of the island. Up load and down load speeds should support VoIP better with uploads at 6 Mbs and downloads over 512 Mbs if you have a strong signal and pay for the best tier of service. The modem supplied is subsidized by Clearwre and can be rented or bought from the ISP for $175.  Retail outlets are being retracted and retail will graduate to the ISP itself.

The modem or the CPE is inadequate for locations blinded from trees and other obstacles to include the propagation with a  direction of Fidelio . I will post when I can find an Outdoor CPE that can be mounted on a monopole or roof top to assist islanders to receive a clear signal. I have contacted Clearwire and Motorola to provide a outdoor CPE that we need to maintain high connection speeds or any connection what so ever. Clearwire did have such a CPE but it was discontinued in 2006 and would not work for the new 2.5 GHz WiMax system. Regardless if the systems bandwidth a week signal will drop the connection speed. It is not clear if I will be able to find a outdoor CPE s with the correct firmware.

Dave Wolf adds:

Thanks for the info, Jeff. I ran into the Clearwire team on the ferry the day they came to the island to upgrade the Clearwire system on the Guemes tower. I'll try to summarize what I learned from them and also from your posting:

- This information applies to Guemes Islanders interested in wireless internet service. It does not apply to television services.

- Clearwire currently offers wireless internet service to Anacortes (and areas beyond) from atop the Guemes tower. Some Guemes Islanders are able to use the Clearwire internet service, even though Clearwire is primarily aiming across the channel (away from Guemes Island).

- Clearwire customers must lease or purchase a Clearwire Modem. The modem is the device that "talks" to the Guemes tower and connects the Clearwire customer's computer to the internet.

- If you are interested in becoming a Clearwire customer, you can borrow a modem from Radio Shack in Anacortes or from Clearwire in Bellingham, bring it home, connect it to your computer, and see if you get a strong enough signal to use the service.

- In March or April 2009 a new, faster version of the Clearwire service will go "live" on the Guemes tower. This new service is known as WiMax. WiMax is much, much faster than the current Clearwire service, but the radio signal strength between the Guemes tower and the customer's modem WILL NOT CHANGE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?  If you already receive the Clearwire signal, you will still receive it. If you've tried to connect to Clearwire already and it didn't work, the new WiMax service won't work either. The new service is faster, but the signal is NOT stronger.

- Jeff also mentioned outdoor CPE equipment. *** techie alert *** CPE equipment = the Clearwire modem. (CPE: customer premise equipment). The Clearwire modem is intended to be placed indoors and connected to your computer (or router). Your house tends to weaken the radio signal from the Guemes tower. If you tried out the Clearwire service from inside your house and gave up because the signal was too weak, then you might have wondered if positioning the modem on the roof (or in a tree) might have made a difference. The answer is: MAYBE. Clearwire used to offer an outdoor modem that you could place on the roof or in a tree. The limitation is that it must be within 200 feet of your computer or router, and it requires a power supply. They no longer offer the outdoor modem. Apparently, Jeff is shopping around for an outdoor modem that will work with Clearwire's new WiMax service. If Clearwire offers an outdoor modem, then some Guemes Islanders may wish to test the Clearwire service again. That is, if you're willing to take the modem on the roof or up a tree.

There are options other than Clearwire wireless internet. They include waiting for Index Cable to complete their planning process for a new system, try cellular wireless internet providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, or subscribe to satellite internet (a last resort).