New Internet, phone provider in Red Bluff

By GEOFF JOHNSON -DN Staff Writer
 Red Bluff residents have the opportunity to combine wireless Internet and land-line phone service in one device.

Open Range, a company specializing in wireless Internet services and funded in part by the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program, was slated to debut its services over the weekend of June 26-27. Using fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless technology, the company said it can offer download speeds of up to three megabits per second with minimal set up.

Subscribers receive a combination modem, wireless router, broadband router, digital phone service device and answering machine. The modem picks up the Internet signal and relays it through the router, making it available to any household computers with wireless Internet capabilities.

The equipment doubles as a phone line, using Voice-over Internet Protocol. By running phone conversations through the internet, customers effectively receive unlimited long-distance.

"We call it the "Magic Box' because it can make the complexity associated with these five devices disappear," said Dan Gillan, the company's market director for Northern California.

The simple, self-contained box has little in the way of cords or antennas and is easily transported, he said.

The technology works through using a receiver in Red Bluff, which sends Internet traffic through low-powered radio equipment. Because the tower is in Red Bluff, the signal may be limited,at first The company will not make the mistake of selling the technology to customers unless they can receive the signal first, Gillan said.

"We can actually take a look and see if our customers are in a serviceable area," he said.

Gillan said the company will provide live, local customer support.

More information, including pricing, is available by visiting openrange.net or by calling 1-877-739-0890.

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Staff Writer Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114, or at gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.com