Spike Technologies' PRIZM BDS Compliant with FCC's New Two-Way Rules for Low Frequency Channels Recent Ruling Paves Way for Wireless Operators to Compete in Lucrative <>
October 16, 1998 NASHUA, N.H., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ via
NewsEdge Corporation -- Spike Technologies,
Inc., announced today that its PRIZM
Broadband Delivery System (BDS) is fully
compliant with the FCC's recent rulemaking
authorizing two-way transmissions in the
MMDS frequency band. PRIZM BDS has been
shipping worldwide for the past year and can
now be quickly deployed by operators in the
US market for two way, broadband
transmission of voice, video, and data
services over MMDS frequencies. The PRIZM
architecture is designed to operate between
1 - 10 GHz; MMDS is located between 2.1 -
2.7 GHz.
The FCC's ruling, which was finalized on
September 17, allows operators to provide
two-way digital services such as Internet
access, virtual private networking, video
conferencing, Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP), and IP telephony. The ruling comes at
a crucial time in the fixed wireless industry.
"The two way rulemaking for the lower
frequency bands opens the door for
operators holding this spectrum to offer the
multitude of services necessary to compete
in this converging marketplace," said Andrew
Kreig, President, Wireless Communications
Association.
The channels in the MMDS band are
particularly attractive for a number of
reasons. They offer a thirty-mile line of sight
range, which is significantly greater than the
1 - 2 mile range of the LMDS frequency band.
This difference allows an operator to service
more customers over a greater distance with
less equipment. Additionally, lower frequency
bands exhibit significantly less rain fade than
higher bands.
Spike's PRIZM BDS was designed specifically
to transmit and receive multiple high
bandwidth digital services over channels in
the lower frequency bands with maximum
spectral efficiency, allowing operators of
various size and scope to compete in the
enhanced services marketplace. PRIZM BDS
provides connectivity at rates of more than
10 Mbps, full duplex, covering a radius of 30
miles and an area of 2,800 square miles, while
employing as few as four, six MHz channels.
"The Yankee Group predicts that WLL
infrastructure build outs will represent over
$3.5 billion in annual revenues by the year
2001 in North America alone", said Mark
Lowenstein, Senior Vice President, WLL, The
Yankee Group. Mr. Lowenstein added that,
"The two way rule making puts Spike
Technologies in an excellent position to
capitalize on a significant slice of this market
as their product is ready to ship in
compliance with the recent FCC ruling."
Domestic customers for the PRIZM BDS
include Internet Service Providers (ISP's),
Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC's),
Long Distance Carriers, Wireless Cable
Operators, and educational institutions.
Executives at Spike see the recent ruling as
a strong sign of things to come in the United
States fixed wireless marketplace.
"Spike believes that the single major
impediment to the roll out by domestic
carriers has now been removed, paving the
way for widespread deployment in the US
market," said Edward Champy, Executive Vice
President, Spike Technologies. "Now that
operators can bundle two-way services into
their business model, they can take full
advantage of PRIZM BDS's broadband
capabilities and offer unparalleled services at
highly competitive prices."
"The real winners here are the small to
medium sized businesses and consumers who
are desperately seeking cost effective
alternatives for accessing multiple high
bandwidth services such as high speed
Internet, Video Conferencing, and Internet
Telephony," said Doug Carey, President,
Spike Technologies. "The only solution
available today that can compare with the
bandwidth and speed offered by the PRIZM
BDS is Fiber Optic Cable, and Fiber Optic
Cable is generally only a cost effective
solution for Fortune 1000 and large
companies. Spike Technologies' PRIZM BDS
gives operators a tool to provide these high
demand services to more customers, in far
less time, at an affordable price."
Spike Technologies officials were responsible
for influencing and shaping the direction the
FCC took with their recent ruling.
Suggestions from Spike's advisory team
adopted in the new ruling include a new
definition allowing a hub transceiver to be
co-located with a downstream booster
station, and improvements to the
complicated interference analysis method.
Spike Technologies, Inc. designs and
manufactures broadband, bi-directional,
wireless communications systems for the
delivery of voice, video, and data. Its
flagship product is the PRIZM Broadband
Delivery System. Spike Technologies has
offices in New Hampshire, New York, and
Texas. Spike's web page is located at
www.spiketechnolgies.com.
SOURCE Spike Technologies, Inc.
/CONTACT: Jeff Keith of Spike Technologies,
603-594-8856, jeff.keith@spke.com/ /Web
site: spiketechnolgies.com |
