WISPAmerica 2013 starts in two weeks in Covington, KY (Cincinnati). It’s the largest conference held to discuss national spectrum efficient techniques, sharing of unlicensed and licensed spectrum and the development of cost effective ubiquitous broadband networks.
The conference agenda also includes 60 wireless infrastructure manufacturers, software companies, cloud service providers, VoIP solution providers. This spring’s event will be held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, in Covington, Kentucky, also known as the “Southern Side of Cincinnati”.
There is a lot going on in the wireless ISP space. Recent developments include white spaces, new extensions to the 5 GHz band and the 3.5 GHz band, and new developments in backhaul. On the down site, the failure of WiMax to attain traction in its battle with LTE, likely means higher costs. LTE infrastructure providers are dominated by large corporations who can afford the complexity and intellectual property expenses.
WiMax was designed to deliver inexpensive wireless broadband on unlicensed 5 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies as well as licensed 2.5/2.6 GHz and 2.3 GHz bands. It has features that unlicensed WiFi doesn’t have that enable it to deliver cost/effective municipal and community wireless services over many miles.
The WiMax Forum has largely given up on WiMAX 2.0 and is instead promoting integration with LTE. The Forum board unanimously approved a proposal to add TD-LTE support to the upcoming WiMAX 2.1 specifications.
The WiMAX Forum’s core operator community operates networks on 2.3, 2.5 and 3.5 GHz spectrum and serves a customer base in excess of 30 million subscribers. With the roadmap change, the group is aiming to give its membership the technical ability to accommodate multiple ecosystems within a WiMAX network.
White-space networks will be limited in its coverage and speed, but further complicated by being suited only for fixed operations, says Peter Rysavy. This is because the technologies currently envisioned to operate in the white space spectrum rely on the modem’s current location to query a database to learn what frequencies it is authorized to use.
There are two different standards being developed for white-space spectrum, IEEE 802.11af and IEEE 802.22. But 802.22 is not going to set the world on fire. It’s limited to a 6 MHz channel and one watt.
Rural users might find that satellite broadband or even LTE might be a better bet for practical service. AT&T and Verizon will likely set the price artificially high.
Verizon currently charges $120/month for their rural Home Fusion LTE service (right).
If the FCC really wanted to do something about ubiquitous broadband, the most cost/effective action they could take is to make the 600 MHz band available to Wireless ISPs.
Some well regarded telecommunications analysts believe that a better FCC plan for utilization of the 600 MHz band would be to make available one third of the spectrum (40 MHz) for unlicensed use. The other two thirds (80 MHz) might be auctioned to carriers. Currently, the FCC wants to maximize their licensed revenue in order to (began) to pay for First Net. Currently, unlicensed White Spaces in the 600 MHz band would only be available in “guard band” slivers, limited in power and bandwidth.
T-Mobile and the National Association of Broadcasters want to eliminate unlicensed spectrum in the 600 MHz band, altogether. The “deal” between the NAB and T-Mobile is apparently not available to the public.
One might assume the T-Mobile/NAB deal would enrich NAB group owners through multi-casting video using LTE Broadcast in spectrum currently targeted for unlicensed use. Carriers don’t like “free” spectrum any better than the NAB (except when it comes to their own spectrum).
FirstNet is the worst thing that ever happened to ubiquitous broadband in the United States. It will siphon $20 billion from the treasury while eliminating inexpensive rural broadband in the 600MHz and 700 MHz band. Charles Dowd, the deputy chief of the New York City Police Department is in charge of the massive communications system.
Let the biggest 100 cities pay for FirstNet. They’re the only ones who will use it — or can afford it. Courtesy of Uncle Sugar.
Related Dailywireless articles include; Municipal Broadband: On Again?, FirstNet: Get Utilities to Pay for It, FirstNet Congressional Hearing, White Space Backhaul at SXSW, Cellcos to FCC: Give Us 2 GHz TV Microwave, Seattle’s Gigabit Fiber CityNet , Chicago Announces Free WiFi in Parks, Municipal Networks: Good for Cities?, Genachoski : Gigabit Fiber in 50 States by 2015 , White Spaces to the Rescue?, White Space Radio using 802.11af Demoed, FCC: TV Auction in 2014, UK Broadband: TD-LTE at 3.5GHz, UK White Space Trial: Some Unimpressed, Mobile: The New Television, Spectrum Bridge Partners with Carlson Wireless, Microsoft Announced Narrow Channel Whitespace, SF Public Service Net: In Trouble?, Street light Provides Wi-Fi, Cell Coverage, Hotspot 2.0, Public Safety Spectrum Grab
