FAQs
Your questions answered
Click on each question to view the answer. If you can't find what you need to know here, please get in touch.
The Basics
- How does Urban Wimax's service work?
- What is special about Urban Wimax’s service?
- Why do I need Urban Wimax?
- What are symmetrical services?
- Where do I have to be to get the service?
- What else can I do with Urban Wimax?
- Is Urban Wimax's service secure?
- Do I need a dish to receive the Urban Wimax service?
- Do I need the approval of my landlord?
- How long does it take to deliver?
- What is a service level agreement and how does it work?
- How can I pay for the service?
Other Services
The Basics
- 1. How does Urban Wimax's service work?
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It's simple really. We securely wirelessly transmit data between our base stations and a special antenna installed at our customer's site. With a choice of 2Mbps, 4Mbps, 6Mbps, 8Mbps and 10Mbps data speeds, the connection is symmetrical. Not only does this mean your chosen data speed is constant, but also that the upload and download speeds are equal (unlike ADSL services). Urban Wimax gives you a major advantage if you're uploading and downloading large files, and if you're using high-bandwidth applications like videoconferencing and VoIP.
- 2. What is special about Urban Wimax’s service?
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We're independent. That's the key difference that enables us to provide a constant, dedicated and secure data connection to our customers.
We own our network independently, and we don't rely on any other telecommunications supplier's fibre-optic cabling, copper wires or electronic exchanges. This gives us a unique and powerful degree of power, control and flexibility to deliver an outstanding data service.
In a typical fixed line data connection, you'll find that the so-called 'last mile' of physical wiring from the local exchange to your business premises is shared by ADSL and SDSL broadband services and leased line suppliers. Practically all businesses have to share this wired infrastructure (there's no inexpensive, non-disruptive alternative), making their data connection subject to outages, fluctuations and heavy traffic in the fixed line service.
The only alternative for a fixed line network supplier is to dig up roads and lay cables to your premises, but this involves huge costs and massive disruption. Urban Wimax solves this problem.
Because our network is wireless, it's completely separate from the 'last mile' of wiring. Our base stations resiliently connect your businesses with high capacity wireless links (using microwave technology) and fibre-optics. With Urban Wimax, your data connection is constant, reliable and secure, bringing greater value and adding swifter, smarter capabilities to your business services.
- 3. Why do I need Urban Wimax?
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If you need to transmit and receive high volumes of electronic information to your customers quickly, reliably and securely, and with a minimal cost to your business, you need to speak to us.
If you want to start using high-bandwidth applications like videoconferencing and remote services, or you want to enhance existing services like VPN and FTP, then it's time to talk with us.
If you're frustrated with slow, intermittent connections, or disappointed with broken promises on service levels, please give us a call.
Finally, if you feel you're simply paying too much for your existing service (whether it's average, just okay or disappointing), you should get in touch with us soon.
- 4. What are symmetrical services?
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Symmetrical services simply mean you can upload data at the same, constant speed as you download data.
For anyone that uses a traditional broadband connection, symmetrical is a liberating prospect. This is because conventional broadband is asymmetrical, so you only get fast download speeds - which is why uploading often takes so long.
With symmetrical services you can always upload large files to your clients or suppliers without disrupting the rest of your connectivity. You can perform backups whenever you want (no need to wait until dark).
Symmetrical services give you guaranteed quality and integrity of real time services like IP telephony (VoIP), ASP services and thin client services, video conferencing and security applications.
Symmetrical also means that central IT departments can quickly and easily administer small office networks remotely, accessing configuration information without affecting local users. Your staff will also be able to use central and remote databases more easily with IP access, eliminating the need for large documents to be distributed on CDs sent in the post.
- 5. Where do I have to be to get the service?
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Our service currently covers Central London and is expanding rapidly. Please use our postcode checker at the top of the page to see if the service is available in your location.
- 6. What else can I do with Urban Wimax?
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The Urban Wimax network can support almost any sort of business communication or connectivity service, including video conferencing, remote application hosting and web surfing, all with a quality of service designed to meet your needs and your budget. If you have any special requirements, just ask and our engineers should be able to tailor our service to suit.
- 7. Is Urban Wimax's service secure?
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Our network - and your business data - is protected by the very latest encryption technology, using AES standards. The AES standard has been approved by the US government for use by its own agencies.
- 8. Do I need a dish to receive the Urban Wimax service?
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You don't need a satellite-style dish, but you will need a small wireless panel antenna, which is a device less than about the size of a normal laptop computer. This device may need to be installed on the roof or on a bracket fixed to a wall.
- 9. Do I need the approval of my landlord?
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Usually this installation is covered in your lease terms. The installation is small and unobtrusive. If you occupy a listed building then planning permission will be required. Please contact our sales team at 0845 331 3008 for further information.
- 10. How long does it take to deliver?
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The service can be scheduled for installation within two days (or as soon as landlord permission is gained). We aim to get our customers up and running within 5-10 days, although we have got businesses onto the service in 24 hours! It should take no more than a few hours to install, subject to a safety survey if a roof installation is required.
- 11. What is a service level agreement and how does it work?
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A service level agreement is an assurance by a service provider that it will provide a certain level of service, normally defined in terms of percentage of downtime in a period. Urban Wimax guarantees 99.5% availability - significantly higher than any other provider.
- 12. How can I pay for the service?
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The usual method is by direct debit.
Other Services
- 1. Can you provide email addresses?
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We do not provide email addresses but offer a mail relay service. Please contact our sales team at 0845 331 3008 for further information.
- 2. Can I have static IP addresses with the service?
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Yes you can, but it depends on the termination device. Please contact our sales team at 0845 331 3008 for further information.
Case studies
There are over 30 case studies per industry below.
Accountancy
Adam Silver, Silver LeveneIn February, a builder accidentally cut our BT cable. We moved the traffic over to the Urban Wimax link, so email and the web were back in minutes - which was a huge confirmation of why we put in the Urban Wimax connection.
Art Gallery
Alan Paul, Haunch of Venison galleryIt was good customer service that won us over – they really went to town to ensure we got the full 4Mbps and spent a lot of time making sure we enjoyed the best possible connection. They’ve been so attentive that I’d say I know most of the Urban Wimax guys by name.
Production
Alex Dawson, The Bare Film CompanyBecause our Urban Wimax connection is so much faster for uploads than our old ISP, we will actually be able to change the way we work as a business using the internet and remote access much more effectively.
Post-Production
Richard Underwood, GlassworksGlassworks is a busy film and video postproduction company that uploads and downloads very large electronic files over the internet on a daily basis. Urban Wimax installed a high-speed internet connection that is reliable and gives us excellent value.
Publishing
Rod Kesterton, Dennis PublishingDistribution models for the new types of editorial content we are producing need a different type of network support. The high capacity and the utmost reliability we get from Urban Wimax enables us to provide streamed video content to a large number of subscribers at once.
PR Events
Kalpesh Maisuria, HotwireOur London IT department is the lynchpin of the European network. Urban Wimax provided us with new technology that works perfectly, enhanced our bandwidth and was affordable. Plus, it offers us a number of opportunities to expand into exciting areas like VoIP and videoconferencing.
Naunton Dickins, Swisscom Event SolutionsAs far as the client was concerned, this was the most trouble-free network provisioning that they have ever had for an event.
Marketing/Advertising
Steven Cooper, redrouteUrban Wimax is offering a level of service above what we are used to expecting from supplier in the technology industry. The customer support is highly responsive and the network totally reliable.
Andy Eakins, Iris InternationalI was walking down the road and, in a hole in the ground, I saw a piece of cable cut by a digger. That’s when I realised we needed wireless backup.
Mark Smith, LoveuropeBroadband wasn’t reliable enough in the Covent Garden office, and SDSL was going to take too long to install. Urban Wimax installed us the next day and 24 hours later we were off and running.
Chris Dabbs, Creative TankUrban Wimax provides some of the best technical support of any company we have ever worked with. Their team really has gone beyond the call of duty.
Construction
Daniel Cash, Beckett Rankine PartnershipAt Beckett Rankine one of our biggest technology challenges was finding a secure and workable solution for backing up our large design and data files.
IT
John Warwick, UnattendFor some time we had been looking for a broadband provider who could deliver a connection to a building wirelessly, with technical excellence and a commitment to customer service that matched our own. As soon as we met Urban Wimax, we knew we had found a company that we could rely upon to hit the ground running and deliver reliable, technically excellent, cost-effective broadband connections to our customers.
Bob Wright, Vital InternationalOur customers can choose between DSL, ADSL, Urban Wimax services, T1 or T2 leased lines. Urban Wimax trumps them all at some point.
Sebastian Gray, IT LabConnected in just 22 hours – now that is business continuity!
Craig Model, Groovy GeckoBT required 30 days to provide an SDSL line, but Urban Wimax delivered a stable Internet line in seven days. It was the first time we had worked with Urban Wimax, but we would happily use them again.
Retail
Andreas Möller, TribekaIt is no exaggeration to say that Urban Wimax provided a crucial key to securing the future business model.
Legal
Thereza Snyman, Boodle HatfieldAt the end of 2007 we were pushing the limits of our network and Internet connection, and there was no prospect of getting our new wired link in time. Urban Wimax was a neat answer to the challenge.
Non for Profit
Jatin Patel, The Climate GroupWe use videoconferencing and collaboration tools to cut our carbon footprint - but they didn’t work well enough on our ADSL line, so we turned to Urban Wimax.
Private Equity
Gill Baines, Milestone CapitalWhen our original supplier told us they couldn’t connect our new office one week before the move, we thought they must be joking. And when Urban Wimax gave us a fully-functioning connection four working days later, we couldn’t believe it, either.
We promise you'll be satisfied
• We're so certain you'll be delighted with our services that we offer you a 30-day satisfaction
guarantee.
• If we don't deliver to our SLA in the first month of your service, you can end your contract.
• No questions, no strings attached.
