Wireless for last mile solution in CMP/TechWeb:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Wireless Gets Boost To 25 Mbps
(01/22/99, 12:28 p.m. ET)
By Chuck Moozakis, InternetWeek
Sprint is one of two major carriers testing a new wireless-access service capable of pumping data at rates of up to 25 megabits per second.
A source familiar with the AB-Access technology developed by California Microwave said Kansas City, Mo.-based Sprint is evaluating the system, possibly for use as a last-mile link in its forthcoming Integrated On-Demand Network. Sprint officials would not comment.
"All the major carriers are looking at last-mile, but the problem up until now is what's currently available hasn't been robust enough or cost-effective enough to deploy," said Beth Gage, director of TeleChoice, a market research firm. "It would make sense for Sprint to evaluate this."
The technology relies on "packet on demand," said California Microwave marketing director Todd Carothers. Data is transmitted in 53-byte ATM cells via microwave signals sent in the unlicensed 5.25-gigahertz to 5.8-GHz band.
Using TDMA, AB-Access can provide a mix of packetized voice and data services. A complementary technology, dubbed Time Division Duplex, enables AB-Access to provide 25-Mbps service both upstream and downstream.
That capability will be important to business users, Carothers said. "Remote users are not just downloading information from the Internet; they need to be able to send files and to participate in [bandwidth-intensive] teleconferences and other multimedia events," he said.
The system is expected to be released midyear, Carothers said. Pricing is not yet finalized.
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