Look Mom, No Wires
by January 6, 2003 12:00 am 74 views
Wireless Internet service provider (ISP) TanTella Inc. of Bentonville on Jan. 2 began offering high-speed connectivity throughout most of Benton County.
Kelly Griffin, president of TanTella and a Cisco-trained network engineer, said a core component of the company’s business will be its “wireless hot spot” at XNA. The plan is to sell wireless access at $7.95 per day from a kiosk in the terminal’s secured area.
That’s for customers who already have wireless devices built into their laptops and other hand-held devices. TanTella will also rent wireless PC cards for older computers.
With an average of 7,000 outbound passengers per week, most of whom are business travelers, XNA offers a unique captive audience. Griffin said he hopes to get 100 XNA subscribers per day, which translates into more than $289,000 in annual revenue.
Similar successful businesses already exist at airports in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.
With distribution towers in downtown Bentonville and Rogers, TanTella will also offer wide area network (WAN) service for businesses with multiple offices and Web hosting. TanTella service in Washington County could come within the next two months.
The only sticking point is the technology is strictly line-of-sight or close to line-of-sight — so Bella Vista with it’s undulating hills and trees is probably out of luck.