By Alan J Weissberger, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Quick Take: WiMAX is a point-to-multipoint technology that provides wireless, last-mile broadband access in licensed and unlicensed spectrum below the 11-GHz frequency band, to connect homes, businesses and wireless LAN hot spots. It can also be used in a point to point configuration for WiFi backhaul and other high bandwidth applications. WiMAX has been tremendously hyped for several years, with IEEE 802.16-2004 fixed WiMAX gear only now being certified by the WiMAX forum. The IEEE 802.16e mobile WiMAX standard has only recently been completed, with no devices or equipment available yet. Only three US carriers have announced plans for fixed WiMAX service: Clearwire, Tower Stream, and Sprint.

1. Telecom 05 WiMAX discussion by Four RBOC CTOs: Limited Role Seen

While IPTV, fiber to the premises build-outs, and IMS took center stage at Telecom 05, there still were a couple of sessions where WiMAX was discussed. Undoubtedly, the mainstream WiMAX players were attending the WiMAX World Conference and Exposition being held the same week in Boston, MA. As a result, there were only two WiMAX exhibitors at Telecom 05- Aperto Networks (whom I spoke with) and SkyPilot (4.9GHZ public safety band). Motorola exhibited Canopy- its proprietary, Line of Sight, Broadband fixed wireless platform- and stated that they were more interested in mobile WiMAX for the 2008 timeframe.

Qwest plans to turn up a fixed broadband WiMAX service next year based on a trial it will be conducting in north of Denver, CO in the 4thQ of 2005. The trial will operate in the 3.5-GHz licensed band of the radio spectrum. Qwest CTO Balan Nair stated, “There’s been lots of WiMAX hype, but it will play a key role as a standardized broadband fixed wireless technology.” Voice (presumably VoIP) will become just another application over the WiMAX fixed broadband access.

Nair was quite concerned about what spectrum would be used for WiMAX fixed access in the US. He stated that Europe has focused on 3.5GHz, but that will spectrum would not likely be available in the US. Please see II F. below, where Aamir Hussain of Qwest elaborates further.

For stress testing purposes only, Qwest will be streaming video over the WiMAX trial network The huge bandwidth needed for real-time video will stretch the limits of the shared-bandwidth, point-to-multipoint WiMAX architecture (single base station serving multiple endpoints). Qwest does not plan to offer any video streaming service over WiMAX. Much better compression schemes would be needed for video over the channels available in (point-to-multipoint) WiMAX, according to Nair.

SBC is planning its own WiMAX trials later this year to evaluate the technology for niche applications. These include: broadband fill-in, wireless local loop, and special-access outside the SBC territory operating on licensed spectrum. SBC is also considering use of WiMAX service in areas where broadband access is not available (using unlicensed spectrum).

Getting certified WiMAX gear will be important according to CTO Chris Rice. SBC owns licenses for 2.3GHZ spectrum, but not the 3.5GHZ spectrum, which the most popular WiMAX products operate at. The trials to be conducted will use SBC’s existing spectrum.

"WiMAX may be a good economic way to do that, because I can't get DSL out there economically, everywhere," Rice said. "It just isn't feasible. Once I get 90% DSL coverage, WiMAX may be how I get the last 10%." Concluding, Rice opined that IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX) would not displace 3G broadband data technologies.

Verizon (VZ) has evaluated pre-WiMAX gear and has three trials underway that are being used for broadband fill-in, where DSL service is not available. VZ is thinking of transitioning to commercial service once cost-effective, IEEE 802.16-certified equipment emerges, according to CTO Mark Wegleitner. The trials are in Grundy, Va.; Emmaus, Pa.; and Rantoul, Ill. The business case for WiMAX is still in progress at VZ, which will only deploy certified WiMAX equipment.

Wegleitner sees a limited role for WiMAX - in hot spots, or where DSL cannot be economically provisioned, such as in rural areas where Verizon is conducting trials.

Wegleitner emphasizes this, because with WiMAX's bandwidth and reach, some have pitched it as a replacement for the fiber-based triple-play services - integrated voice/data/video - that Verizon and the other RBOCs are developing and provisioning to homes and businesses. But for that, Verizon is forging ahead on its fiber-to-the-premises strategy.

Bell South has pre-WiMAX wireless broadband services in Athens, GA (Sept 05) and New Orleans (Oct 05) and a trial in Palatka, Fla. But the carrier is hard pressed to find an exclusive role or application for WiMAX. "I really believe WiMAX is a great supplement to all the other things that we offer," CTO Bill Smith said. "It's unlikely in my mind that WiMAX becomes the only communications access vehicle."

Smith also stated that DSL is more cost effective in densely populated areas. This effectively restricts fixed WiMAX solutions to sparsely populated rural areas. The issue is how to best apply the (WiMAX) technology to market needs? Pre-standard equipment is too expensive and use of common spectrum is a key issue. “We want Bell South WiMAX gear to work on other carrier’s WiMAX networks, but both must use the same spectrum for this to happen.” Smith could not offer any plans for a commercial service roll out. He said that Bell South was only now getting early returns from their Athens, GA trial and those need to be evaluated first.