Company:WeLink
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | telecommunications, wireless, high-speed Internet |
| Founded | 2018[1] |
| Founders | Kevin Ross, Ahsan Naim[1] |
| Headquarters | Lehi, Utah, United States |
Key people | Kevin Ross, chairman and CEO[1] Mark Trout, president[2] Ahsan Nain, CTO[1] |
| Products | Wireless Internet service provider |
| Website | welink.com |
WeLink is a Lehi, Utah-based fixed wireless internet service provider (ISP).[1] It connects individual homes to the internet via small, rooftop antennae that form a neighborhood mesh network that blankets entire neighborhoods.[1]
The company was founded in 2018 by Kevin Ross and Ahsan Naim.[1]
History
WeLink was founded in 2018 by Kevin Ross and Ahsan Naim.[3] Ross had previously worked at smart home service provider Vivint.[1] Ross became the company's Chairman and CEO.[1] Naim was a wireless industry veteran with Sprint and AT&T.[3] He became the company's CTO.
The company's first service area was Las Vegas.[4] The company later expanded into nearby Henderson, Nevada.[4]
In January 2021, the company raised $185 million from venture capital firm Digital Alpha Advisors, a telecom VC with close ties to technology company Cisco.[5] In November, the company expanded its service into Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.[6]
In March 2022, Mark Trout joined the company as president.[2] In May, the company partnered with the Washington DC government to create a Community Internet Program offering low-cost internet service to area residents.[7][8] Households that met the guidelines of President Biden's Affordable Connectivity Program would qualify for discounted service.[7] In July, the company announced it had completed the first phase of its network rollout in Washington DC.[9]
Services
WeLink develops a mesh network of wireless base stations to transmit high-bandwidth signals across neighborhoods.[5] The company's mesh technology allows anchor customers served with a high-speed fiber connection to share Gigabit wireless connections with nearby households.[2] The company leases fiber-optic bandwidth from existing service providers to set up its hubs.[1] A small base station is installed on a customer's roof, and a cable runs down to the home's router or Wi-Fi equipment.[5] The wireless service is based on 5G millimeter wave technology and 60 GHz wireless technology.[10][5]
As of July 2022, the company offered wireless service in Las Vegas, Henderson, Phoenix, Tucson, and Washington DC.[2][9] The company reportedly also has several partnerships in international markets.[11]
The company's WeLink Cities program works with city governments to deploy the company's technology.[2]
Operations
WeLink is headquartered in Lehi, Utah.[1] Kevin Ross is the company's chairman and CEO as of July 2022.[1] Mark Trout is the company's president as of July 2022.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "WeLink, the 'anti-cable company' brings wireless 5G internet to Phoenix, Tucson". November 9, 2021. https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/inno/stories/news/2021/11/09/welink-comes-to-arizona.html. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "WeLink expands leadership team, plots growth". March 24, 2022. https://www.lightreading.com/5g/welink-expands-leadership-team-plots-growth/d/d-id/776067. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "WeLink scores funding boost for FWA market expansion". January 11, 2021. https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/welink-scores-funding-boost-for-fwa-market-expansion. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Wireless WeLink turns up mmWave fixed wireless in new markets". November 9, 2021. https://www.fiercewireless.com/operators/welink-turns-up-mmwave-fixed-wireless-new-markets. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "WeLink raises $185M to deliver high-bandwidth wireless internet to the home using 5G". January 7, 2021. https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/07/welink-raises-185m-to-deliver-high-bandwidth-wireless-internet-to-the-home-using-5g/. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ "WeLink expands FWA in Las Vegas and Phoenix". November 9, 2021. https://www.lightreading.com/opticalip/fttx/welink-expands-fwa-in-las-vegas-and-phoenix/d/d-id/773403. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "DC just launched a new Community Internet Program for affordable broadband". May 16, 2022. https://technical.ly/civic-news/community-internet-program-dc/. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ "DC Residents to Access Free or Low-Cost Internet via New Program". May 17, 2022. https://thedcpost.com/washington-dc-free-internet/. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Build Out: WeLink debuts in DC". July 1, 2022. https://www.lightreading.com/broadband-tech/the-build-out-welink-debuts-in-dc/d/d-id/778692. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ "WeLink is Latest Provider to Offer Gigabit Fixed Wireless – and It’s Symmetrical". November 9, 2021. https://www.telecompetitor.com/welink-is-latest-provider-to-offer-gigabit-fixed-wireless-and-its-symmetrical/. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ "New York City’s former CTO joins broadband start-up". March 4, 2022. https://cities-today.com/new-york-citys-former-cto-joins-broadband-start-up/. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
External links
 |
