MMDS to the Home
Phoenix gets broadband wireless
Sprint to bring high-speed access across U.S.
KELLY CARROLL
Sprint?s Broadband Wireless Group announced the launch of its first broadband wireless product in its Phoenix market. The product, which will use the multiple multiplexing distribution service frequency, will be offered to the residential and small business markets.
?The high-speed access in combination with an always-on connection will have a transforming effect on how people use the Internet,? said Tim Sutton, president of BWG. ?This is just the beginning.?
The company?s Phoenix residential customers will receive Sprint Broadband Direct service, with downloads of up to 5 Mbytes per second. In the next year, the carrier intends to roll out between 10 and 15 additional cities such as San Francisco; South Bend, Ind.; Houston; Denver; Columbus, Ohio; Seattle; Salt Lake City; St. Louis; and Chicago.
The company is not certain of the order in which cities will be launched but is planning more announcements in the next few weeks.
?The move from narrowband to broadband is a true inflection point for the Internet, and we see it becoming a lifeline service,? Sutton said. ?We believe in many markets we will have an unique presence because like DSL and cable modems, service will always be on, meaning no more waiting for a connection.?
Although the carrier?s initial offering is Internet- and data-centric to the home or business market, the company intends to use multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS) to deliver voice services and expand its Integrated On-Demand Network service by the middle of next year use, said Evan Conway, senior director of product development at Sprint.
?We are in trials now with voice over IP in the lab, but we believe right now there is a sweet spot for a data-centric product,? Conway said. Official trials would take place before the end of the year to make sure a voice-over-IP product is of high quality before going forward with it, he said.
The consumer product will cost $39.95 per month, which includes six e-mail accounts, 24-hour customer support and five hours of dial-up roaming free each month. In addition, customers will have access to their service from anywhere via the BWG Web site. Sprint Broadband Direct Office for small businesses costs $89.95 per month for up to five workstations. For either service, the modem equipment costs $299 if customers decide to pay on a month-to-month basis. If they agree to be a customer for one year, the equipment will cost $199 up front; for two years, it will cost $99.
The carrier will provide the installation free initially but has not settled on how much this will cost later.
Sprint professionals will install a small dish on the side of the home or office building that is in sight of one of its towers. An Ethernet cable connects to the computer and Hybrid Network modem. At this point, the company estimates installation time at about two hours, though it depends on the building. In Phoenix, there is a staff of about 50 to 75, but as the company rolls out into other markets, it intends to work with third parties on the installation process.
Once Sprint?s merger with MCI WorldCom is approved, the two companies will possess a MMDS footprint that reaches about two-thirds of the U.S., Sutton said. ?[High-speed Internet] will become a lifeline type of service, and it is imperative that the deal go through because the industry will be much better off if we can combine our resources,? he said. ?We are bullish on getting a fair share of broadband customers, and we might be the only choice in town.? |
