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Technology Stocks : California Amplifier - 2 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mark A. Forte who wrote (1661)	6/11/1999 9:13:00 PM
From: Hiram Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2267

Mark, thanks for telling me that. Usually there is a few who capitulate right before a stock takes off. Anyway,some good information about fixed wireless,and CAMP's customer Wavepath(a division of Sprint)in San Francisco. networkmagazine.com SWITCHING ON WIRELESS CABLE Another approach to wireless local-loop access is Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS), a point-to-multipoint, line-of-sight technology in which signals are transmitted from a broadcast tower to antennas on subscribers' residences or facilities. MMDS operates in the 2.1GHz to 2.7GHz frequency band and has a maximum range of about 30 miles. MMDS was initially used to deliver television broadcast services to residences, and is thus also referred to as wireless cable. For some time, a number of MMDS operators have also been offering data services, using wireless technology for downstream transmission and a phone line as the upstream link. However, recent changes in FCC rules have enabled some operators to provide true two-way wireless service. WavePath's (www.wavepath.com) MMDS-based iSpeed wireless Internet access service is provided via symmetrical wireless connections and as a combination wireless-downstream/wireline-upstream service. iSpeed is offered to ISPs on a wholesale basis, and is targeted toward small-business and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) users. Concentric Network, Direct Network Access, and Reality Networks are among the ISPs reselling the service. iSpeed is currently available in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to Philip Mustain, COO of Wave-Path, the company plans to roll out a consumer version of the service in the near future. iSpeed services range from 384Kbits/sec to 1.544Mbits/sec. The suggested retail prices (the cost to the end user) for these services are $150 per month and $400 per month, respectively. Wireless One's Warp One (www.warpone.com) is a symmetrical MMDS-based Internet access service that's been rolled out in Jackson, MS; Memphis, TN; and Baton Rouge, LA. Wireless One is offering the service directly to small businesses, as well as for resale by ISPs. End-user pricing for the service is $150 per month for 128Kbits/sec, $280 per month for 256Kbits/sec, and $890 per month for 1.544Mbits/sec. According to Ernie Yates, COO, wholesale rates are discounted from 35 percent to 45 percent of retail, depending on the speed of the service and volume commitments. Wireless One's target niche is markets with a population of about 500,000 and below, says Yates. Another advantage of wireless access technology is its flexibility. WavePath claims it can increase or decrease an iSpeed customer's transmission speed within a day's notice. Brian Nerney, president and CEO of Clearwire, says that software running on Clearwire's network provides for quick, virtually seamless features, additions, and speed upgrades to the user's site. The long distance providers have taken some tentative steps into the wireless access arena. For example, AT&T recently resurrected Project Angel, its blueprint for delivering local fixed wireless voice and Internet services; both Sprint and MCI WorldCom have invested in People's Choice, a wireless cable company; and MCI WorldCom has also invested in several smaller MMDS providers. On the RBOC front, US West plans to conduct trials of wireless Internet access services, and BellSouth began offering wireless cable TV services in late 1998. Hiram