Consider Wireless - Letter

Falmouth Opinion, Falmouth Enterprise

Recent articles described town and regional efforts to obtain new internet infrastructure. There was discussion of fiber optics, et cetera. I have to say, fiber optic internet may be great, but a fiber is like an eight-lane superhighway. They are great, and having one nearby might be good in dense suburban areas, but I don’t exactly need one that stops in my driveway.

What we need is multiple competitors in the ISP market. The articles I read in the Falmouth Enterprise did not consider wireless carriers. Wireless technology has advanced and now is actually capable of providing high-speed internet over wide areas.

Recently, T-Mobile has started rolling out home internet service at $50 per month. This is 100 percent wireless. I got it and it works great, always measuring well above 100MBps, that is, plenty fast enough for whatever you’ve got. It is cost competitive with the least-expensive 100mbps internet-only offerings from Xfininty/Comcast.

Before our town gets into exotic things like hanging fiber optics on poles—which really make more sense in back-haul infrastructure than to-the-home—I suggest the mobile networks, with innovators like T-Mobile, can be the 2nd+ competitors we need.

Other than being a customer, I have no financial interest in T-Mobile. I just mention them because they are the first to offer wireless home internet service in our area.

Michael J. Beckerle

Two Ponds Road
Falmouth