Service Availability in the Central Pacific Beaches

March 27th Update: We have found a fitting location for our new transmitter. Service in the area, begining in Altos del Maria, will be available in the coming weeks. We are still interested in more locations.

Here at PaNETma we receive frequent requests for high speed service in the many communities along the Pacific coast between Panama City and Penonome. Some of the most frequently mentioned towns and areas are Playa Bonita, Gorgona, Coronado, Santa Clara, Farallón, San Carlos, Rio Hato, Playa Blanca, Decameron, El Valle de Anton, Altos del Maria, and Rio Mar.

Last year, our answer has always been "not yet." In 2010, the answer is "maybe, here is how."
What follows is a detailed explanation of what needs to happen to make high speed high reliability Internet available to you and what you can do to help.

We intend to continue to provide a service that is fast, reliable, and affordable. If all three of these conditions can't be met, we think there is no reason to bother.
In order to supply the kind of high quality connectivity that our customers have come to expect, we must have complete control of the network.
If any technical aspect of the operation relies on a third party, it would result in poor performance or too high a cost.

Fundamentally, the method by which the PaNETma telecommunication system operates is simple to visualize. Internet data is carried in both directions by radio waves that are sent between a customer, that has a small advanced specialized transceiver, and a far more powerful PaNETma operated transceiver elsewhere. From the PaNETma transceiver (otherwise known as a "tower"), the "internet" jumps from one "tower" to the next until it reaches the network core that connects to the US, Central & South America and elsewhere via fibre optic cables. Unfortunately, we can't just send radio waves anywhere we want because dense objects, like mountains and rain forests, block them. Neither can we run fiber optic cable anywhere we desire because the cost is outrageous and it would take years.

We can however, as long as nothing is in the way blocking the signal, create wireless links over 100 kilometres (62 miles) each and "daisy chain" dozens of them with no loss in speed.
Finding a location for our transceiver (which you can think of as a "repeater" or a "relay") is where you come in.

Here is a topographic map of Panama that shows, in yellow, an estimate of where PaNETma's signal currently reaches.

As you can easily see, the pacific beaches are unreachable because of the mountains between them and our transmitters in Panama City.
To solve this problem, all we need to do is place a new relay in the yellow area that can reach the towns along the ocean.

Cerro Chame is the ideal location but other nearby mountain peaks, perhaps even the highest points in Altos del Maria, may also be suitable.
Isla Bona and Isla Otoque and Punta Chame have potential as well. The hills of the Pearl Islands, like Isla Pedro Gonzales, Isla San Jose, Isla del Rey, Saboga and Contadora might also be the answer.

Here are some guidelines for a suitable location:

• Has Line-of-Sight to Panama City. This means that there should be no hills or trees between you and some part of Panama City (like the highest buildings or Cerro Ancon).
• Has Line-of-Sight to all, or part of, the central pacific communities. We have to be able to send the signal to other customers from here.
• Accessible all year by terrestrial vehicle. We need to take components up the mountain so walking is not really an option. If you own a helicopter and wish to volunteer it for the task, that is also acceptable.
• Reasonably secure. It's no good if our equipment gets stolen.
• Property is legally accessible. This is not the type of project to be executed in the middle of the night.
• Has electricity at least 3 days a week. We can use large batteries half the time and solar and wind power are also an option but grid access is best. Monthly power consumption is under $8.

If you own, control, or have an access to a fitting location, please get in touch (including latitude and longitude) to see what we can work out.
If you don't, maybe your friends do.

Contact us by writing to sales \at/ panetma.com or click here.
We'll be happy to answer any questions or provide clarification.