Wave Wireless Networking and parent firm SPEEDCOM
Wireless Corp. this week introduced new equipment designed to eliminate
line-of-sight barriers for fixed wireless access providers.
SPEEDCOM introduced its SPEEDLAN PH9000 point-to-multipoint last-mile
wireless product line based on Wave’s revolutionary Packet Hop
non-line-of-sight (NLOS) technology.
The new SPEEDLAN PH9000 is specifically designed to reach more than 90
percent of a sector’s population by overcoming the need for clear line-of-sight
between the base or repeating station and a subscriber’s premise transceiver.
The first products in the lineup are designed as either a seamless “pico-cell”
NLOS extension to its current SPEEDLAN 8000 series gear, or as the heart
of brand new multi-sector “pico-cell” deployment where NLOS functionality
is required.
The PH9000 products are available in either indoor shelf-mounts or outdoor
wall/pole Mounts. SPEEDCOM’s so called self-healing network technology
accounts for a sectors topographical or geographical changes over time.
Service Providers currently deploying the SPEEDLAN 8000 series equipment
will be invited to order evaluation units of the new PH9000 series in
late April.
Bruce Sanguinetti, SPEEDCOM Wireless president, said he was proud to
debut the new product line with PacketHop technology.
“Line-of-sight is the single obstacle preventing wireless from becoming
the preferred last-mile solution throughout the world,” Sanguinetti said.
“We’ve overcome that obstacle.”
Also debuting
Meanwhile, Toronto-based fixed wireless equipment-maker, WaveRider
Communications Inc., is commercially launching the world’s first NLOS
fixed wireless network at the International Wireless Communications Expo
(IWCE) in Las Vegas at the end of this month.
The LMS3000, currently in commercial use in North America by an ISP in
Calgary, Canada, is the newest addition to WaveRider’s Last Mile Solution
(LMS) family of products. WaveRider also intends to exhibit other LMS
products as well as its Network Communications Link (NCL) wireless bridge/router
throughout the IWCE 2001 event.
Charles Brown, WaveRider vice president of sales and marketing, said
the LMS3000 is attractive to ISPs looking to deploy wireless Internet
networks quickly and cost effectively to residential and small-office
or home-office (SOHO) customers.
“The simple installation by the customer saves each service provider
valuable time and money and reduces the need to dispatch crews for routine
installations,” Brown said. “Best of all, our solution is proven, with
a successful installation and deployment at Platinum Communications Corporation,
an ISP in Southern Alberta.”
Simple installation is the key to WaveRider’s LMS3000 gear. According
to Brown, SOHO users can install the modem themselves, load the software
and have the program tell them how to position the antenna on their desk.
"This technology has been in development for three years,"
Brown said. "Installation has been a cost and barrier for wireless
broadband deployment—the LMS3000 series eliminates the need for consumers
and small offices to spend up to $1,000 to install a fixed wireless broadband
connection."
The streamlined install process will also save ISPs time and money when
it comes to deploying fixed wireless services. WaveRider’s LMS3000 series
may not be as robust as its LMS2000 2.4 GHz products, but it is a system
that opens the door for some interesting opportunities.
Brown said that the 902-928 MHz unlicensed spectrum has some advantages
over frequencies further up the band, so the unlicensed snippet of spectrum
is the key to WaveRider’s LMS2000 series.
"The further down the spectrum, the less chances there are for rain,
glass, or concrete to absorb a signal and diminish its strength,"
Brown said. "We’ve developed proprietary radios and antennas for
end users to take advantage of eliminating line-of-sight barriers to broadband
Internet services."
While WaveRider’s LMS3000 series can deliver speeds up to 1Mbps, businesses
that need 8 to 11Mbps can get the speed they need from the company’s LMS2000
series of products operating in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum—in
which LOS remains an issue.
The last mile
WaveRider’s LMS products are fully networked wireless systems designed
to deliver broadband Internet access to business and residential users
over spread-spectrum technology in the license-exempt 2.4 GHz and 902
MHz ISM bands.
LMS3000 at a glance:
- Is a complete system solution incorporating best-in-class components
to maximize system capabilities - Provides sophisticated subscriber, network and equipment management,
which can be scaled to meet the long-term needs of the WISP in a variety
of environments - Maintenance features allow operators to verify user configurations
and operations of network modules on a scheduled or on-demand basis - Generates real time alarms of failure of critical components and automatic
redundant fail over of key components to maximize uptime - Provides standard 19-inch rack cabinets for key components
- Operates in the 902 to 928 MHz license exempt frequency band
- Provides raw data rates of 2.75 Mbps and access at speeds up to 1
Mbps - Offers cost effective network infrastructure, which can be easily
scaled to meet the long term needs of the WISP - Migrates easily to and from other LMS family products to ensure a
long-term solution and maximize return on investment - Is a layer 3 end user modem to provide flexible, cost effective end
user solutions
WaveRider’s LMS product family offers advanced network management features
which enable users to quickly and easily perform all network management
functions including bandwidth shaping, setting up new subscribers, monitoring
the operation of equipment and initiating network changes to avoid service
disruptions. The network management system also enables service providers
to guarantee varying levels of services for customers.
