Gerry Blackwell

When enterprises first started deploying wireless LANs, cost justifying them seemed straightforward enough – once prices came down to a certain level. You still paid a premium for wireless LAN hardware and software, of course, but that was offset by the wired LAN cabling and installation costs you avoided. And then there were all the […]

MMDS Penetrating Tier-2 Markets Most of the fixed wireless activity to date among Tier-Two and -Three ISPs has involved unlicensed 2.4 or 5 GHz technology, and most of the high-profile work on licensed two-way MMDS has been been done by big players like Sprint Broadband Direct and WorldCom Inc. But there are signs of change. […]

In a recent article we looked at MobileStar Network, which is building a network of Wi-Fi (802.11b) access points in airports, hotels, and restaurants—notably Starbucks locations—across the country. As we saw, MobileStar’s stategy is based on deploying a far-flung network and selling services directly to subscribers. The company is not completely averse to the idea […]

Put a Wi-Fi access point in a Public Access Location—hotel, train, station, airport, restaurant or convention center—and wire it back to your POP with a T-1 or T-3. Mobile subscribers equipped with Wi-Fi PC cards in their laptops can log on to the Net at broadband speeds whenever they come in range. With more and […]

There is a movement afoot in America and elsewhere to build citywide networks of linked 802.11b access points—owned and operated by individuals in loose-knit community groups. You could go sit in the park with your laptop or handheld PC and access the Net at 1 Mbps via an antenna on the roof of somebody’s nearby […]

There is a movement afoot in America and elsewhere to build citywide networks of linked 802.11b access points — owned and operated by individuals in loose-knit community groups. You could go sit in the park with your laptop or handheld PC and access the Net at 1 Mbps via an antenna on the roof of […]

Wi-Fi-Enabled Notebooks To Go MobileStar Network Corp., a provider of broadband wireless Internet access in public locations, recently announced an agreement with Hewlett-Packard to provide customers with access in its coverage areas across the U.S. Wi-Fi-enabled—IEEE 802.11b—HP Omnibook and HP Pavilion notebook PC users will now have the option of wireless access at MobileStar’s more […]

New Faces The crowded broadband fixed wireless market apparently still has room for new hardware players and products. Three companies or partnerships introduced or announced plans to introduce new fixed wireless network products recently: Cirronet Inc., General DataComm Industries (NYSE: GDC) in partnership with Corinex Global Corp., and Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, Inc. Atlanta-based Cirronet, formerly […]

A sign of the times? In a move that signals the rising demand for scarce wireless networking skills, Speedcom Wireless Corp., a Sarasota, Florida-based wireless broadband solutions provider, has converted its InstallGuys services division into a wholly-owned subsidiary. The company says the change is intended to put the company in a better position to capitalize […]

In the mid-1990s, theft of wireless service became a multi-billion dollar problem for cellular carriers. The industry finally solved the problem with more secure network and terminal equipment. Pop goes the access But security experts at the time were fond of saying that network hacking was like a balloon—if you squeezed it with better security […]

Your business customers all want fast Internet access. That goes almost without saying. For small businesses, DSL seems the obvious solution. But what do you do if you can’t get DSL? This was a problem ISP Prime Communications Systems Corp. faced until recently—even though DSL was supposedly available from Bell Atlantic across its Buffalo NY […]

The old switcheroo The move from 2.4 to 5.8GHz unlicensed radio spectrum for fixed wireless applications has been a mini trend of the last several months. With 2.4GHz (which is also used for wireless LANs, cordless phones, and baby monitors) getting crowded, carriers are looking instead to 5.8, the UNII (unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) band. […]