HOULTON – The F.A. Peabody Co. has announced it is building a high-speed wireless data network.

The Pioneer Wireless Network will reach from Houlton to Madawaska during phase I construction, delivering data transmission speeds at up to 45 megabytes per second.

The Pioneer Wireless Network design is the brainchild of Timothy McAfee, systems manager for the company.

McAfee’s network design extends the bandwidth capacity of the entry point to the Internet to all the major communities in The County via wireless transmission. Pioneer Wireless will broadcast from Houlton, Monticello, Mars Hill, Presque Isle, Caribou, Loring Commerce Centre, Van Buren and Madawaska in phase I.

Business and residences in those communities will be able to purchase high-speed Internet access at any level. The basic residential package will give Web surfers 20 times to 30 times faster connections than a dial-up modem.