BellSouth offers wireless broadband in New Orleans
BellSouth is doing its part to get local businesses up and running again in New Orleans.
On Tuesday, the company announced that it has started selling small businesses in the Big Easy wireless broadband service. The service, which uses pre-standard Wimax technology, will provide customers with 1.5 megabits per second downloads and 384 kilobits per second uploads for $69.95 per month.
The service will only be available to a limited number of subscribers. The company has deployed three base stations in New Orleans and will be able to service about 700 companies. With much of the telecom infrastructure still not repaired after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, even pockets of wireless broadband could help businesses in the area start the process of rebuilding.
BellSouth has been offering residents in Athens, Ga. a similar wireless broadband service since early August. And it started offering the service to residents in Palatka, Fla. The residential service in these locations costs around $40 per month compared with the $60 per month business service in New Orleans. It also provides 1.5mbps downloads, but the upload speed is only 256kbps.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
