Alberta Startup

Mage to Award Four Free Rural Broadband Networks

Mage Networks Inc., has just released a technology called MagiNet™, a novel wireless network concept that enables reliable high-speed broadband service in remote areas for a fraction (1/10 to 1/3) the cost of existing technologies. To prove its reliability, Mage is now inviting Internet Service Providers and rural communities across southern Alberta to apply for one of four free pilot networks, valued at $8,000 – $18,000 each. The networks can serve to cover remote no-service zones, or give free outdoor WiFi to high-traffic areas.

“Actually the true value of the networks we’re offering would be well over $200K, if you had to build them using cellular towers or fiber,” explains founder, Dr. Sayed-Amr (Sisso) El-Hamamsy, a telecommunications veteran of over 30 years.

MagiNet™ offers up to 50 Mbps upload or download speed, and uses proprietary firmware built into standardized hardware to keep costs low. “Most rural areas rely on a high tower with a long sight-line, where speed gets slower as you move further from the tower,” he explains. “Ours uses multiple small nodes placed low to the ground, needing only sight-lines between them to create a data pipeline. This gives coverage around terrain, trees, and long distances without losing speed.”

Mage recently shot a video and test in the community of Nanton, where a high-speed network was built from an origin point in town to a ranch 10 km southwest, all in about 6 hours. The company also recently demonstrated the technology to dignitaries from around the world in Fauquier County, Virginia.

“Rural communities in Canada should be very excited about this technology since it’s so affordable, needing only about 3 subscribers to justify deployment,” says El-Hamamsy. “So they can use it to give free outdoor WiFi downtown, or hook up remote areas of poor coverage within days.”

That said, the company’s aspirations go well beyond Canada. “There is nothing like MagiNet™ out there now. And with over 4 billion people across the globe without Internet access, plus emergency zones needing communication as situations arise, this is a technology with limitless potential,” El-Hamamsy says.

Communities and ISPs wishing to apply should reply to jdrew@mage-networks with answers to the following questions.  We will announce communities awarded in the coming weeks.

FOR COMMUNITIES (Southern Alberta only):

1. Provide a map of your downtown area, with number of businesses, and foot traffic during summer months. Ideally, we are looking for a continuous area of about 600m, but it can be any shape.

2. Business relationships: Do you have local businesses who are willing to allow the nodes (about the size of a baton) to be affixed to their buildings?  These will be 3 – 4m from the ground.  The merchants must also provide power to these units (estimated cost 30 cents/month).

3. Your local philosophy: Is your municipality keen to be the first to deploy new technologies? Any examples of this?  We would like a location where the local leadership is excited to facilitate and promote the network.

4. Access point:  Do you have any location with at least 50Mbps from which we can pick up the signal for the network?  What is the speed at this location?  What is the maximum speed to which it could be upgraded?  If it is insufficient, are you willing to cover the cost of upgrading this speed from your ISP?

5. Testimonials:  Are you willing to informally your townspeople as to their satisfaction with the service before/after the installation? Provide a written testimonial from town leadership? Accept referral calls about the network from other towns?

FOR ISPs (Southern Alberta Only):

1. Map: Show us your desired area for pilot service– pointing out areas of poor service, and estimated number of subscribers there. (The selection of customers is up to you).

2. Subscriber base: What is your approximate number of subscribers in your geographic operating area?  Do you have a lot of areas into which you’d like to grow, but are limited by technology or terrain?

3. Your philosophy: Are you keen to be the first to deploy new technologies? Can you give us an example or two?

4. Your industry involvement: Are you active in ISP industry associations?  Would you be proactive about providing references as to the quality of MagiNet™?

5. Your team: Are you able to supply the installation of the pilot network? Can you also support with a marketing effort to bring the 10 new subscribers on board?  How long do you think this would take to achieve?

6. Promotional Support: If the pilot deployment meets or exceed your expectations, would you actively promote it to other communities? How so?

On November 2, 2017 we were invited by AER Wireless to demonstrate MagiNet™ in Fauquier County.  This area is in Northern Virginia, USA, and is actually a part of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.  The population is one of the fastest growing and highest income areas of the United States.

Paradoxically, Fauquier County is also an area that has surprisingly poor internet service, with many homes having very slow, or non-existent coverage. While many well-known politicians reside here, the terrain and spacing of the homes and trees and roads has made it very costly for traditional telecommunications providers to efficiently reach the area, and the residents have become quite frustrated with the situation.

Enter Keith Walker, and his firm, AER Wireless. After learning about Mage, and the situation in Fauquier County, Keith realized there was an opportunity to work with this county to provide a proposal.  Mage’s CEO, Dr. Sisso El-Hamamsy, was pleased to be invited to present and demonstrate MagiNet™’s ability to overcome the obstacles faced by traditional technology.

Participants were able to see a full demonstration of how MagiNet™ works. In attendance were representatives from Fauquier County, several African and Caribbean countries, and partner companies such as Infosys, Cogent, Express Technologies and others. Sisso designed a beautiful network layout which went from the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce offices across a park, up a hill (with a beautiful, Tiger Woodsian data-shot between trees) and then all the way to the downtown core of Warrenton. While we ran into a hiccup when we discovered that our access to the Internet at the Chamber of Commerce had extra layers of security (i.e. when all our users were streaming video, the router at the Chamber set off a security flag and shut itself down), we were nonetheless able to overcome this and get the MagiNodes™ working very well, and providing beautiful network connectivity.

AER Wireless is very busy following through with resulting quotations and proposals. We are very excited about the opportunities these new relationships will bring!

The team at Mage had great fun hosting an event at Tenato last week, where we picked up a high-speed broadband signal from the office, and then hopped it wirelessly toward 8th Avenue SE and then over to the bridge over the Elbow River.  We set up a temporary network of tripods with a network, and then the investors enjoyed high-speed Wifi standing over the river, surfing YouTube and Netflix!   We were lucky to get perfect weather, and when we came back we enjoyed some hot food and went through the investor presentation.

It was wonderful to hear the interesting questions, ideas and suggestions.  Our investors are all very well-connected people who are really going to help Mage move forward! Huge thanks to everyone who attended!

We’ve been really pulling late nights and long days in recent weeks – preparing for an investor event, getting photos taken, shooting a video, building a website, and of putting the finishing touches on our user interface. We’ve attached a few photos here.  Huge thank you to Dayna Dickens and Mark and Kelly Fox of Nanton who hosted us to shoot a video that demonstrated us taking a signal from Dayna’s home, and pulling it out 10 – 11km away onto a remote area on the Fox ranch outside Nanton. You all were tremendous hosts, and we can’t thank you enough for your hospitality! You’ll see that the image above is Gary holding up an iPad, on which he’s able to play movies on Netflix on the wireless remote MagiNet™  network!

As you may know, Mage is based in Calgary, and we have a long history in the telecommunications industry.  Our plan is to sell our flexible, wireless broadband networks to communities everywhere, so if you’re representing a community, or are an Internet Service Provider that is looking to partner in deployments, we want to hear from you.  The process isn’t long and complex; it involves having a visit or a chat, getting a map of your region, after which we come up with a network configuration and quotation to suit you.  Click to CONTACT US.