BORDEAUX (WiMAX Day). By Sophie Kevany. The Gironde region of France, famous for its Bordeaux vineyards, hopes to have WiMAX soon. The Conseil Général for the region announced it will launch a € 40 million Euro ‘Gironde Numerique’ project later this year.

The aim of the publicly-funded project is to subsidise construction of networks that will provide broadband Internet access in the region to roughly 16,000 homes that lack basic ADSL coverage.

Many of these homes are in proximity to the oldest vineyards in France, where nearly half are estimated to lack broadband connectivity. According to Yann Breton, who is responsible for broadband access at the Conseil Général, the local wine industry has lobbied hard for better broadband coverage.

“The wine sector has been the most active…. They need Internet to develop their sales. WiMAX is very important for them, especially for those in shadow zones,” he said.

The modern winemaking industry relies heavily on information distributed via the Internet. This includes information about current risks to vines from various pests and diseases. “This information is very important for us,” said Michel Baudet, fifth generation owner of Chateau Monconseil-Gazin, in Blaye, north of Bordeaux centre.

Sales and marketing for vineyards also now rely heavily on the Internet. “There are also lots of clients that want prices via e-mail,” said Baudet, who feels he is effectively living 10 years in the past. “WiMAX is my only hope at the moment,” he said.

WiMAX also has the potential to improve production at the vineyard. “At the moment we use a small computer device to input information about each vine plot, and then we transfer the information to the main computer when we get back to the office. With WiMAX we could transfer it directly.”

Growing a network
Baudet will need to wait some time before he can connect to WiMAX from his vineyard. Bolloré Télécom was awarded a license for 3.5 GHz spectrum last year that covers the Gironde region, however according to Marc Taieb, director of Bolloré Telecom, the company is still planning its WiMAX network. Taieb says Bolloré is in the middle of WiMAX trials, and he expects to have good results soon.

The Bordeaux winemaking region also has a relatively plain topography that is flat and mostly devoid of trees, with only an occasional lazy hillside. While this is beneficial for the thousands of acres of grape vines, it is not ideal for positioning a wireless network.

One concern Taieb has is that Bolloré has yet to find a contractor to build the network, and he has not found the necessary high points to place the base stations. “We need well positioned ones with fibre optic cabling nearby,” he said.

The Gironde Numerique project may help speed the roll-out of WiMAX in the region. Funds to be distributed from the tender bid will be open to WiMAX operators such as Bolloré. Local communities and vineyards may also bid on the funds. The Conseil Régional of Aquitaine, which is contributing € 6.6 million to the project, also holds a WiMAX license in the region, and access to the spectrum might be divided amongst local entrepreneurs and communities.

Baudet already has his eye on an old water tower near his vineyard that is used by Bouygues Telecom for GSM transmission, and he says there are other people like him in the area. “Here we are spread out. We have chateaux in the middle of the vines,” he explained. “And it is the same all over the region.”