Lucent Goes The Wireless Last-Mile
techweb.com
(01/05/00, 5:37 p.m. ET) By Chuck Moozakis, InternetWeek
Lucent Technologies is tackling last-mile access with a new wireless networking system for service providers.
The vendor's WaveAccess point-to-multipoint wireless system, rolled out this week, is capable of transmitting data at speeds of up to 11 Mbps, and at distances of up to 10 miles, said Angela Champness, director of product and business management. More important to service providers, WaveAccess is also capable of beaming data to thousands of users simultaneously--as opposed to a companion WaveAccess system capable of linking only two locations at a time.
Gregory Friedman, CEO of wireless provider Netbeam, said he's building a service portfolio around the WaveAccess technology, which provides line-of-sight transmission in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band. Netbeam launched its service in three markets late last year, with plans to offer high-speed access in 22 states over the next several months.
"The fundamental technology here will let us deliver high-speed wireless service in markets where business customers can't get DSL or a cable modem," he said. "Right now, we're offering fractional T1 [sub 1.5 Mbps] services because that's where the sweet spot is, but we're looking at other higher-speed offerings in the future."
Netbeam charges $45 per month for 128K service. Installation, which covers a PC radio card and a directional antenna located on a customer's roof, ranges from $495 to $1,995, depending on the number of users.
Farpoint Group analyst Craig Mathias said serving remote workers will help accelerate the use of wireless last-mile technologies.
"If you are a service provider and want to provide a high-speed service, this certainly is one way to do it," he said. "It's not a mature technology, but it's an established one."
WaveAccess is priced from $2,050, which includes routers, antenna, associated cards, and other software.
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