Mike, these have been fabrications of the LMT, but like many other "futures" which were discussed here, this will come to pass too. Yes, an MSO "could" do this, but probably wont.
I was referring to unbundling the optical capacity that they possess at the field node, to make that capacity available to wireless entities, competitors, who do not have the rights of way and franchises, nor the financial resources, to pull backbone fiber all over god's country.
This can be likened -although with significant differences- to how a DSL CLEC would attach to an ILEC unbundled node out in the boonies, if they had the opportunity to do so. In this instance the DSLer might want their own wavelength back to the central office, and ultimately to their own Internet backbone. At the pedestal, they might insert their own DSLAMs, while reusing ILEC copper, as well. Or, going wireless (as in HFW), as some DSLs now portend also to be wireless players, as well.
Of course, at the other end of the fiber (at the head end), those same lambdas (wavelengths) that are peeled off out in the field would be forwarded from the head end (or the central office in the case of a telco scenario) to the wireless carrier's central site.
In the case of HFW, optically derived channels could be established between the cable op's field node and the HFW provider's tower location. Or, via microwave between the two. At the ultimate tower location, the HFW would hand off to residentials.
It needn't actually be a full fledged tower, though.. it could be a PCN-like lampost install, or a water tower, or whatever matched the design metrics for millimeter, short distance, microcell-like criteria. Do these exist yet? I don't know, but I don't know of popular one, if they do.
FAC |
