Devoted to the wireless ISP industry, WISP Centric offers various features including industry news, a global initiatives resource, press releases, etc.
Start a WISP Knowledge Base - Are you interested in starting a wireless ISP but don't know where to start? Do you need help writing your business plan and could use some samples?
The arrival of a new technology
could have a broad impact on the radio industry. There is every
indication that it will influence the way radio delivers programming
and the way it tracks audiences. Surprisingly, there has been little if
any discussion about it within the industry, as it is a broadcast
technology that broadcasters did not develop.
Enter WiMax The new technology is being called WiMax. No doubt many readers are
already aware of Wi-Fi, a popular form of wireless technology intended
to free computer users from their electronic tethers by creating
wire-free local area networks or “hotspots” with a workable range of
300 feet. As long as you stay put, the system works great. But, when
you move between hotspots, you must reconnect, often to another service
provider. That limits Wi-Fi’s ability to be a truly mobile technology.
Great as it is, Wi-Fi is only a taste of what’s on the way. Last
year, a consortium of more than 200 member corporations — rather like a
who’s who of the communications industry (AT&T, Cisco Systems,
Intel, Lucent, Motorola, Nokia, Time-Warner etc.) — approved the new
WiMax wireless standard. Equipment is scheduled for standards
certification this summer.
WiMax has been designed to have a range of 30 miles from a single,
well-located transmitter; within that range, data transfer rates are
anticipated to be 70 Mbps. To put that in perspective, most radio
stations use ISDN connections to retrieve high-quality audio from
remote broadcasts. A single WiMax connection has the equivalent
capacity of more than 500 ISDN lines. As a further comparison, many
radio stations have T-1 connections to the Internet for their computer
networks. A single WiMax connection would offer the equivalent of 60
T-1 lines, or seven DVD-quality video signals to each individual
wireless user.
At least initially, WiMax is likely to have many of the same
connecting challenges as Wi-Fi. In other words, you need to stay within
the hotspot to be connected. But, clearly, a metropolitan-area hotspot
has a lot more going for it than one that covers only a portion of an
office building.
Already on the fast-track is an enhanced version of WiMax,
scheduled for approval this summer. With field trials projected for
2006, enhanced WiMax will be for use in moving vehicles. Not only is it
proposed to work at highway speeds, but it also is being designed to
re-connect easily as you move from hotspot to hotspot, in a manner
similar to cellular telephones.
With the network of established cell towers already in place, some
analysts are predicting that, as early as 2008, you might be able to
get a high-speed mobile wireless Internet connection nearly anywhere in
the United States. Imagine having a browser in the dashboard of your
car, with preset buttons for “favorites” that could include Internet
radio stations around the world, weather maps, music, movies,
television, your security cameras at home, and even a picture phone.
Impact On Radio Clearly, a new medium that can deliver audio and video into moving
vehicles coast-to-coast is a broadcast medium. Industry people working
with AM, FM, HD or satellite should sit up and take notice — and with
this new standard being tested next year, radio should do it quickly.
(For information on WiMax, visit the WiMax Forum website at
www.wimaxforum.org).
Consider the mass media of today: radio, television, film,
recordings, newspapers, magazines, books, etc. Each has developed in
sync with advances in the varying delivery technologies. But today, a
website can deliver audio, video and text on the same page at the same
time — truly multi-media. As bandwidth capabilities have increased, the
technical quality of web-based delivery has followed suit. Add wireless
delivery, and you have a broadcast medium that is capable of a seamless
integration of print, audio and video material.
WiMax actually is only a small part of what is coming, as several
other technologies are being rolled out. UWB (Ultra Wide Band) promises
ultra-high-speed connections between devices at short range. Already
demonstrated is home-entertainment equipment that will allow the user
to distribute high-quality media signals between rooms without wires. A
next step may be transformation of how radio routes audio signals
around a facility and produces content, potentially without wires.
However, unlike WiMax, UWB proponents are currently locked in a
standards battle that is restraining implementation.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is beginning to
replace bar codes for product identification. Already in use at
Wal-Mart, it allows wireless tracking and cataloging of physical
objects. Soon, wireless RFID may allow you, while shopping in the
grocery store, to access your refrigerator at home to see what tagged
items you have on hand. At check-out, all you will need to do is push
your loaded shopping cart of tagged items through the checkout lane,
without removing them from the cart.
RFID technology has the potential of revolutionizing audience
ratings. Imagine having RFID tags in audience radios, enabling stations
to know not only what audiences are listening to, but exactly when and
where, with instant and continuous real-time feedback.
It is hard to think of an area of daily life that wireless
technology won’t impact. Imagine driving back from a ski vacation and
being able to turn up the heat at home. A sales rep may be able to
directly schedule spots with a handheld device during a client meeting
in a restaurant.
Threat Or Opportunity? All technical innovations can be considered a threat or an
opportunity. With the advent of new wireless technologies and others
certain to follow, the radio industry, while appearing mature, may
actually be in its infancy. One way or another, all appearances are
that radio could be entering the dawn of a new era.
As listeners become increasingly connected to devices that
transform their lives, they will no longer have to decide which one to
turn on to receive programming. Whatever device they use — PDA, cell
phone or something we can’t yet envision — will already be media
capable. The increasing challenge will be to snag audience attention in
an environment that is far more distracting than anything we can
comprehend.
It is logical to believe that there will be a continuing thirst for
valuable information and entertainment. Following the pattern being set
by the cable industry, successful media probably will become more
specialized than ever. For example, imagine a person who likes golf.
Would that person listen to radio programming customized for golfers:
music, commercials for golfing products, golf tips, and stories from
other golfers about their experiences? It seems likely. How about
backpacking, antique cars, home projects, or any other activity? It is
hard to imagine hobbyists who would not want to tune into customized
radio programming directed at them.
Certainly, WiMax, and other related technologies will have growing
pains. Delays from unforeseen technical problems and the usual
standards issues are anticipated. However, as we observe what has been
learned from technologies such as Wi-Fi and cellular, as well as the
level of industry-wide support for WiMax as a universal standard, there
is every indication that this technology will succeed.
For what may be the first time, a new form of broadcasting is
coming, one that broadcasters have not had a stake in developing. It
has come from outside the radio industry, and it appears to be right at
the doorstep.
Radio is in the audio-content business, and content will remain
king. To address this challenge and seize an opportunity before it
blindsides the industry, however, radio must remain alert, work
together and think outside the box. If broadcasters can succeed at
that, this may indeed be the sunrise of a new radio era.
FAIR USE NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,
the information in this website is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for
research and educational purposes. The WISP Centric Group is making such
material
available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental,
political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and
social justice issues, etc. The WISP Centric Group believes this
constitutes a 'fair
use' of copyrighted material as provided for in the US Copyright
Law.
Technologies 
Advanced Search
