Regional broadband service provider Progress Telecom has launched a new initiative, PT Wireless, aimed at helping wireless service providers achieve greater network coverage and call quality, and at helping municipalities build Wi-Fi networks.

The new operating affiliate begins life focusing on the four southeastern U.S. states where Progress Telecom and one of its parent companies, Progress Energy, have fiber optic facilities and utility poles on which the new wireless company will install digital distributed antenna systems, said Peter Neill, president of PT Wireless.

"What we are enabling wireless providers to do is use their infrastructure as a quicker means to serve the capacity demands for their data and voice services," said Neill. In place of 150-foot cell sites, the 40-foot digital DAS can be deployed quickly and less expensively on utility poles, he said.

Initially, much of the fiber connecting these cell sites will be provided by Progress Telecom but PT Wireless will lease capacity from other service providers as well to build out its footprint, Neill said.

The initial service will be offered in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The same facilities that are used to boost wireless network capacity can be used by municipalities to offer Wi-Fi service, Neill said.

Wireless service providers are under pressure to increase network capacity for expanding voice and data services but find it hard to build major cell sites in urban and suburban communities.

"Our solution costs them half of traditional cell site build time, and it's a more attractive financial solution than traditional cell site buildout," Neill commented. PT Wireless is also promising to help wireless providers lower the costs of backhauling their traffic over fiber facilities to mobile switching offices, he said.

"That's their largest cost component--running fiber and managing relationships with various utilities," he said. "At a time when they have to prioritize their capital investment, we think we can help them make the most of those dollars."

The PT Wireless systems can serve multiple wireless tenants simultaneously, Neill said.