The monks of Athos get WiMAX
The Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain – or Mount Athos as it's more commonly known – is the easternmost finger of the Chaldiki peninsula in northern Greece. The mountain is home to about 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, some over a thousand years old, is accessible only by sea and is forbidden to women – only males may enter, by special permit, with precedence given to Orthodox Christians.
This is where the Greek telco OTE has chosen to pilot its WiMAX rollout. The wireless network reaches about 50km over the rough and mountainous terrain, using the 3.5GHz band and equipment from US WiMAX vendor Aperto. The first users are already connected in the capital Karyes and other areas. Most of Mount Athos is so impenetrable that the area does not have an electricity network, so the WiMAX base stations' electricity comes from renewable sources, including wind and solar power. The link will mainly be used by clerical administrative staff for internet access and VoIP telephony.
(lghp)
