Wireless broadband now faster in Floresville & Poth, Texas than DSL is in Dallas

Things are better in Mayberry, really! AT&T’s fastest current DSL offering in the Dallas / Fort Worth area is 6MBPS down. My own experience on the Fort Worth side is just short of 5MBPS, not the advertised 6. I can now move to the tiny burg of Poth and get 7.2 MBPS without having to pay for a phone line to get it.

Stelera Wireless, an Oklahoma City-based rural broadband service provider has launched its high-speed HSPA service in two markets — Floresville & Poth, Texas — utilizing the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum band it had acquired in last year’s AWS spectrum auction. The AWS utilizes the 2.1 GHz and 1.7 GHz bands. Stelera has beaten many of the larger players such as T-Mobile to the punch by rolling out its AWS-based wireless broadband network. (from GigaOm)

I’m looking forward to the time when a few of these small carriers get big enough provide access in urban centers without the worry of the duopoly lobbying and lawyering running them out of business. Sounds crazy? Wal Mart began in nowheresville and totally dominated retail in rural America before they opened their first big city outlet.