Nth Air hops on the DNC bandwagon

California broadband wireless startup Nth Air is embracing politics—at least Democratic politics. It announced today it is launching its WiMAX-esque flavor of wireless access networks in Denver just in time for next week’s Democratic National Convention, where some 5000 delegates, 15,000 members of the media and an untold thousands of supporters will converge to see Barrack Obama accept his nomination.

Qwest has landed the official communications contract from the DNC, the Colorado incumbent is eschewing wireless connectivity as both it and the DNC expect interference as well as security problems with any wireless network. AT&T, the official wireless sponsor of the convention, is boosting its network capacity substantial in anticipation of unprecedented levels of data traffic. The operator is adding both permanent and temporary cellsites near the convention center, downtown and in other high-traffic areas and is setting up an on-site network operations center to ensure things run smoothly. Though AT&T may be the provider of record for the convention, it hasn’t stopped other operators from picking up any slack. All of the major operators have launched efforts to boost capacity and coverage in Denver next week as will as in Minneapolis next month for the Republican National Convention.

But Nth Air isn’t offering a cellular service. Instead it hopes to steal some of Qwest’s thunder by offering a temporary broadband connectivity service to delegates, media and hotels during the week of the convention. Nth Air has set up a network using Fujitsu IEEE 802.16e equipment, using the same technology and equipment as a standardized WiMAX network but over unlicensed 3.65 GHz frequencies. Though not a mobile service, the network will allow conference attendees to use a portable CPE to set up remote broadband connections anywhere in range of its base stations, said Nth Air CEO Craig Niemeyer, whether it’s in a hotel room, on the convention floor or in a news van in the parking lot.

“Qwest has the big contract at the DNC,” Niemeyer said. “We’re just opportunistic. This is one of those opportunities we felt we had to follow through on.”

Niemeyer said it has already sold service to TV stations, and is in negotiations with convention hotels to either resell its service to their guests or use the Nth network to augment overtaxed hotel Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks. Once the DNC closes up shop and leaves, Nth Air will remain in Denver, selling connections to businesses through regular contracts.

Nth Air, however, has no plans to Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention. “It’s not any kind of political commentary at all,” Niemeyer said. Denver was one of the markets Nth Air has targeted, having registered to use the 3.65 GHz spectrum with the FCC. Nth Air has been gradually pushing westward from California. Its initial networks launched in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Earlier this year it launched in Las Vegas, followed by Denver today. Minneapolis isn’t yet in its plans, Niemeyer said.