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Technology Stocks : NEXTEL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rono who wrote (10193)	8/18/2003 2:47:38 PM
From: Rono	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10227

Nextel to launch hybrid wireless service with RadioFrame Networks August 18, 2003 Nextel, in partnership with RadioFrame Networks, will launch this week a unique hybrid wireless service that guarantees improved in- building signal strength for both voice and data with the option to create a campuswide wireless LAN using the same equipment. The integrated service will use Nextel's iDEN network for wide area cellular coverage and RadioFrame's hybrid access points [APs], which give an IT department the option of including seven different radio antennas in a single device by adding "blades," or cards the size of a cassette tape, to the AP, according to Jon Pelson senior director of Custom Network Solutions at Nextel. "Wi-Fi is everywhere the customer wants it. You can slide in different blades, slide in an iDEN blade, a wireless LAN blade -- whatever you need. And if it is 802.11g, or ultra wideband, the access point can accommodate that, too" said Pelson. While there is no five 9s (99.999 percent uptime) designation for cellular service, Pelson described the improvement in uptime for its service as "five bar service," referring to the highest measurement of signal strength found on most cellular phones. Access points, or more accurately base stations, from RadioFrame distributed throughout a building include antennas connected to the iDEN network which are responsible for the improved in-building signal strength, according to a RadioFrame executive. "If you walk into a building today and you drop a call, what you will get [using a RadioFrame AP] is a 100 percent improvement," said Elliott Hoole, senior director of technology development at RadioFrame. Despite the integration of WLAN and WAN service in a single access point, there are no immediate plans to offer what is often called seamless roaming between the two networks, said Pelson. The technology certainly lends itself to that next step, and Nextel is looking at the technology needed to create a seamless roaming experience for its customers, but it is not on any Nextel product roadmap at this time, he added. Nor is Nextel planning to offer the hybrid service to consumers, although the carrier is also looking at that possibility. However, one industry analyst believes that technology such as RadioFrame's will broaden the scope of the wireless footprint in the enterprise. "As coverage improves, companies can seriously consider voice over IP. It's a real positive," said Shiv Bakhshi, research manager for Mobile and Wi-Fi Infrastructure at IDC in Framingham, Mass. Nextel will also offer WLAN management software as well as the ability for Nextel to remotely monitor the hardware and send alerts if a device needs to be replaced. Pricing for the service is based on the number of Nextel handsets, length of the subscriber service, type of voice and data Nextel service selected, and the number of access points deployed. The RadioFrame access points are compatible with wireless client cards tested for compatibility by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The service is available now.