Nokia Drives Without License
New Products Pave Way To Fixed-wireless Broadband Access
By Brad Smith
There hasn?t been a lot of attention paid to the unlicensed bands for fixed-wireless broadband access in a wide-area context, but
Nokia is about to change that.
The Finnish wireless giant is putting together a package of wireless broadband systems using the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz
spectrum bands. The unlicensed bands will be used by the Nokia Wireless Routers and Bridges.
The RoofTop Routers and Bridges create a wireless broadband infrastructure built one subscriber at a time, says Ari Lepp„,
Nokia?s general manager of wireless routing.
Lepp„ says the systems lower the costs enough that they?ll enable Internet service providers to offer a mass-market wireless
broadband connection. Costs decrease because no base stations are necessary, and the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands eliminate line
fees and tariffs.
?Our new wireless broadband solutions will enable service providers to quickly build their networks according to the growing
demand for high-speed Internet connectivity, accelerating time to market and capturing additional market share,? Lepp„ claims.
The RoofTop Routers use the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Although they must use line-of-sight connections, they help get around the
limitations by creating a mesh network linking all the subscribers, Lepp„ says. Each router also uses the Nokia AIR operating
system, capable of self-configuring and self-healing.
The RoofTop Bridges, on the 5.8 GHz band, can be used to extend networks up to 10 miles away to reach additional
neighborhoods and business parks from a point-of-presence. A RoofTop network can provide 12 megabits per second shared data
capacity, which can be configured for user needs.
The RoofTop systems will be available commercially in North America by the end of 2000, according to Lepp„. That will be
followed by availability in South America and Australia/New Zealand. Europe, because of different spectrum requirements, will
take longer.
In a separate offering, Nokia also is building a system called CityHopper Broadband Wireless Access, aimed at the last-mile
access market linking broadband to mid-sized and large businesses. CityHopper uses licensed millimeter wave bands in the 10, 26,
28 and 39 GHz spectrum ranges.
The CityHopper is a point-to-multipoint wireless access system for voice and data services built for Nokia by Netro Corp. of San
Jose, Calif., in an OEM deal. The Netro AirStar system uses a TDMA transport scheme so hundreds of subscriber terminals can
be shared by one base station, Nokia says. A single base station can provide up to 155 mbps throughput, while each customer
premise equipment can provide up to 16 mbps. |
