Internet users can access Web sites and download e-mail and other data with Ripwave at speeds comparable to cable or DSL broadband service and five to 10 times faster than conventional telephone dialup service, according to Geary.

Unlike hooking up cable or DSL connections, installing Ripwave does not require a visit from a technician to the user's home or business.

"Ripwave uses an external modem that requires electric power, but it will be battery-operable, so it is portable for the user," Geary said. "It's simple to install, it uses either an Ethernet or USB connection, so it's plug and play. We call it zero-install."

But, Geary said, Yourinter.Net technicians will visit and help any subscriber find the best location for their Ripwave modem.

"We will make sure people have a good experience," he said.

Ripwave service offers advantages over other wireless Internet-access technology, according to Sai Subramanian, the vice president of product management and strategic marketing at Navini Networks.

"Existing wireless services are fixed," he said. "You have to install gear in your house with an antenna outside in sight of the tower. This is a non-line-of-sight signal that can go through walls and other objects.

"You don't even have to know where the tower is."

At the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce office, where Ripwave has been in use on a three-workstation network for about a month, Executive Director Dana Henry compared its signal to that of a cellular telephone.

"If you're three floors deep in the basement, it won't work too good, like your cell phone," Henry said. "In our case it was a matter of walking around until we found the best signal and installing it at that point.

"The unit is about 8 to 10 feet from a very large window which means its getting lot of exposure. We haven't had a problem with it."

Ripwave was an economical choice for the chamber offices, Henry said, because only one subscription is needed for the network instead of a dialup subscription for each workstation.

Indiana computer consultant Don Coleman said he installed Navini's Ripwave on a network of four computers at St. Bernard Church three weeks ago.

"The reception has been very good," Coleman said. "They are transferring data at 480 Kbps, which is slightly better than DSL or cable."

Subramanian said Ripwave uses several security features to protect its users.

"The signal is sent from the tower to the user in a beam, not in all directions, so someone snooping cannot get it," Subramanian said. "It is directed to where the user is.

"I would say it's more secure than cable, which is like a telephone party line. It is as secure as DSL, if not more."

Yourinter.Net, owned by Gazette publisher Indiana Printing and Publishing, has erected two towers for Ripwave service in Indiana, Geary said. The signals cover the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus, all of Indiana Borough and parts of White Township.

As more people and businesses start to use Ripwave, Yourinter.Net will add more towers to expand coverage and maintain the speed of the connections, according to Geary.