Ubiquiti Networks and the Italian Center for Radio Activities (C.I.S.A.R.) announced this week that they had set the world record for a 5 GHz Wi-Fi link, by covering a distance of 304 kilometers (about 189 miles) from Sardinia to Central Italy.

Wow.

The link uses Ubiquiti's XtremeRange 5 High-Power Carrier Class mini-PCI radio modules and 35 dBi 5 GHz parabolic dish antennas, and supports speeds of about 5 Mbps.

And it's not just about getting bragging rights - the link is designed to allow ham operators on the island of Sardinia to communicate with others on the Italian Peninsula.

"We are very excited with C.I.S.A.R.'s achievement and proud to be a part of it," says Ubiquiti president Robert J. Pera.

More here from The Inquirer ... more here from VNUnet ... more here from Wi-Fi Planet ... and the press release is here.