Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX News

Other BWIA / WiMAX Blogs And Sites - Towerstream

With putting in a "blogroll" on BWIA / WiMAX News, there are so many blogs and sites that I should list that for the foreseeable (until I get every one listed that I know about - it'll take a while) future, I'm going to make this a twice-weekly feature.

Tuesday's BWIA / WiMAX Blog / Site to be added is:

Towerstream - www.towerstream.com

Towerstream is, admittedly, a favorite Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX Service Provider. But that favor has been earned, and proven to be well-deserved as Towerstream is one of the very, very few Broadband Internet Access Service Providers... regardless of their chosen "physical layer" that knew when starting, and has remained focused on "knowing exactly what business they're really in". In Towerstream's case, that business is "moving the Internet bits, fast and reliably". Towerstream has resisted temptation (and some serious offers...) to move away from that focus - into content, hosting, voice services, and other businesses that conventional wisdom dictates are "profit centers" or "value-added". But as I've discussed numerous times, being a Service Provider in it for the long term and providing best value for customers is an incredibly demanding business, and a Service Provider needs to remain laser-focused in order to succeed.

Towerstream has found ample ways to distinguish itself as a (wireless) Broadband Internet Access Service Provider. Two of particular note:

• Towerstream offers very fast installation in its service areas. They can sometimes arrange for installation of their service (installing the antenna / radio / router equipment) on the same day that it's ordered. They can do that because they use wireless.
• Towerstream offers tiers of speeds, and within the limitations of the particular equipment installed, can upgrade the speeds within minutes; for example when 1.5 Mbps (a popular choice as it matches the speed of a "T-1 circuit" isn't adequate for an office, an "upgrade" to 3 Mbps can be handled over the phone.

Towerstream also seems to endear itself to customers for good billing - it's a very straightforward transaction - a certain speed for a certain price, no extra dinging, minimal contracts, month-to-month service.

It's almost incidental that Towerstream uses Broadband Wireless Internet Access, WiMAX, license-exempt spectrum and licensed spectrum, etc. What distinguishes Towerstream is that they fully integrate the capabilities... and liabilities... of wireless into their business model, such as the fast installation capability.

Towerstream mentioned to me that they list BWIA News on the blogroll of their CEO's blog. That's appreciated, but this isn't tit-for-tat; Towerstream was already on my list for a well-deserved mention on my blogroll.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Likely No Interference Between AWS-1 and AWS-3 Bands

(1 update - see below)

The FCC has released a report with its conclusions on the likelihood of significant interference between devices operating in the AWS-1 band (receive segment - 2.110 - 2.155 GHz) from operations in the proposed AWS-3 (2.155-2.175 GHz)  band.

As I read the report (PDF) - the FCC engineers concluded "no big deal".

To me, this kind of thing is simple, cut, and dried. The parameters of the spectrum allocations are well-established. If adjacent services and systems "intrude" or "splatter" their signals outside their allocated spectrum, then they get shut down by the FCC. That's the entire point of licensed spectrum - the FCC plays referee, judge, and jury.

This helps answer at least some of the technological uncertainty about M2Z's proposal for a nationwide, "free" Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) system, though questions about the underlying economics, operation / business model remain.

Amusingly, I saw a fair amount of confusion about this story in the general news, that this report was about the recent White Spaces (license-exempt use of vacant portions of television broadcast spectrum) testing that has been conducted by the FCC.

Administrivia note - I'm trying out the use of excerpts in the RSS feed (which will ripple through to the email notification provided by FeedBlitz). Comments pro, or con, will help decide whether I continue to do so.

Update: John Murrell of Good Morning Silicon Valley says it oh so well in this delicious headline, and does justice to the story:

T-Mobile loses NIMBY fight in Spectrumville

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; 802.11A/B/G/N Wi-Fi on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; 802.11A/B/G/N Wi-Fi on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Ten Principles for Broadband Wireless Internet Access, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi

With every new type of Broadband Wireless Internet Access (and now, WiMAX) system, it's funny to read the breathless speculation of what that system "can lead to...". It's happened with Wi-Fi HotSpots, it happened with Metricom Ricochet, it happened with wireless telephony broadband Internet, and it's happening right now with Sprint / Nextel's XOHM network just started in Baltimore.

So I thought this would be an instructive exercise.

Ten Principles for Broadband Wireless Internet Access, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi

1. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi is, at its core, the Internet - simply made wireless. Getting users connected with the Internet, whereever they are, economically, fast, reliably is the core value of BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi.
2. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi is wireless telecomunications done right. Wireless telephony was many / most of the design decisions about telecommunications made back in the 19th and early 20th century - made wireless. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi is wireless based on TCP/IP and Internet.
3. BWIA / WiMAX makes things practical that weren't possible or economical with the wired Internet or wireless telephony. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi makes it feasible and economical for all devices with a microprocessor to be online in some fashion, even if their connectivity is limited to sending or receiving a few bits of data a day.
4. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi is based on a standards and evolution process that allows for its growth, adaptation, and evolution - not the stagnant processes of the telephony industry. We'll see BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi evolve standardized peer-to-peer mesh networking, picocells / nanocells, and many other technology evolutions that will be additive and not wrenching change.
5. The smartest companies will realize that in the era of BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi they're in the content business - via the Internet, to all the potential users that are on the Internet, or in the bit transport business building networks. It's an either/or choice - you can't do justice to either when you're trying to do both - you end up making compromises to favor one or the other, indecision, when if you commit to one or the other, you give it your all to the business you're in.
6. BWIA / WIMAX / WI-Fi is not a lesser form of Internet, or "merely mobile". In many cases, it's better Internet than what can be done using wireline. Having fiber in your building or home doesn't do you any good if the terms are too onerous - transfer caps, high prices, limits on what you're allowed to do. It also doesn't do any good to have fiber "near". In places like New York City, companies like Towerstream are quietly using BWIA to bridge fiber availability to nearby buildings - speeds of 1 Gbps are easily doable, and faster speeds are about to happen.
7. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi enables a lot more competition for Broadband Internet Access than wireline. It's inherent in the medium - electromagnetic spectrum, that multiple access providers can operate in the same geographic area, and even share facilities, and still compete vigorously.
8. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi is adaptable to different parts of spectrum; it's designed to be flexible and agnostic about the physical layer of the particular spectrum - part of the legacy of being based on Ethernet.
9. BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi has license-exempt options which is a critical distinction between it and the "gotta run a wire, somehow" nature of the wired Internet and the "if you're gonna use spectrum, you got pay someone" nature of wireless telephony. It's not always easy to use license-exempt spectrum, but at least it's possible, and that breaks through a lot of barriers and makes possible things that were consider impossible before.
10. This last point seems obvious, but it's so important that it needs to be explicitly stated and emphasized - that with BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi, voice is just another type of service that rides on top of the communication platform. Voice doesn't dominate, and thus doesn't dominate design decisions, limit options, etc. That makes voice over BWIA / WiMAX / Wi-Fi inherently better than the voice over wireless telephony.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; 802.11A/B/G/N Wi-Fi on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; 802.11A/B/G/N Wi-Fi on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Thursday Thoughts

Interested in advertising on or sponsoring BWIA / WiMAX News?

Are you or your company interested in Sponsoring or Advertising on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News? BWIA / WiMAX News is read by people that are specifically interested in learning more about Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA), WiMAX. BWIA / WiMAX News is entirely original content, written exclusively by a knowledgeable independent technologist with more than a decade writing about BWIA. Please email me to start the discussion.

Looking for an Analyst to cover Broadband Wireless Internet Access?

Broadband Wireless Internet Access is changing the world - access to the Internet via wireless is a total game changer. But BWIA isn't just about mobility and portable devices. There are situations where wireless is better, faster, cheaper than wired connections. I write from a technical background, have a ten year history of writing about how wireless and the Internet intersected... back before WiMAX, and even before Wi-Fi. I need to remain based in Seattle, but can travel, especially to cover conferences such as WiMAX World. Writing could be for public consumption (corporate blogger), or private analysis. Note - I'm not seeking a marketing or sales position. An email will start that discussion also.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Are you or your company interested in Sponsoring or Advertising on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News? BWIA / WiMAX News is read by people that are specifically interested in learning more about Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA), WiMAX. BWIA / WiMAX News is entirely original content, written exclusively by a knowledgeable independent technologist with more than a decade writing about BWIA. Please email me to start the discussion.

Looking for an Analyst to cover Broadband Wireless Internet Access?

Broadband Wireless Internet Access is changing the world - access to the Internet via wireless is a total game changer. But BWIA isn't just about mobility and portable devices. There are situations where wireless is better, faster, cheaper than wired connections. I write from a technical background, have a ten year history of writing about how wireless and the Internet intersected... back before WiMAX, and even before Wi-Fi. I need to remain based in Seattle, but can travel, especially to cover conferences such as WiMAX World. Writing could be for public consumption (corporate blogger), or private analysis. Note - I'm not seeking a marketing or sales position. An email will start that discussion also.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

My Take On Objections To Clearwire And Sprint / Nextel Merger

The merger of Clearwire and Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum and WiMAX operations is still wending its way through the US government. With all such things, there's ample opportunity for naysayers to comment, and apparently they are.

AT&T, for one, is objecting to some sort of "hiding" of spectrum assets by the combined company. Something to the effect that there are leases of "Educational" portions of 2.5 GHz spectrum that aren't declared as being under lease or potentially leased.

The reality is that the 2.5 GHz spectrum in the US is unbelievably convoluted. The 2.50 - 2.69 GHz band was originally allocated for educational video broadcasting. Then part of the spectrum was reallocated to commercial use for "wireless cable" private video distribution. Then the commercial portions were partially auctioned. Companies went bankrupt. Educational licensees effectively abandoned their licenses. Spectrum became valuable - old claims were dusted off and reactivated. The Internet happened and it was realized that one-way, then two-way Broadband Wireless Internet Access was possible in the 2.5 GHz band. Other portions of spectrum generated billions of dollars in auction, repurchase, and other financial jiggering. So, there's ample "fog of war" involved with anything to do with the 2.5 GHz band. AT&T's just grousing as a strategic move; lawyer time (on AT&T's scale) is cheap and just injecting any uncertainty into any competitor is just good business - as AT&T sees it.

Here's the bottom line for the Clearwire / Sprint/Nextel (2.5 GHz / Mobile WiMAX operations) merger:

• Without merging with Sprint/Nextel's 2.5 GHz spectrum and WiMAX assets, Clearwire won't make it. It doesn't have enough scale on a national basis with the spectrum it has. Investors won't invest unless they see a clear path for Clearwire to scale on a national basis where they can leverage economies of scale in marketing, partnering, distribution, etc. Repeat - without truly national scale, Clearwire will fail. They know this, have known it all along, and I'm convinced that Clearwire acquiring effective control of Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum was part of Clearwire's (perhaps secret) business plan all along.
• Sprint/Nextel needs to get rid of the distraction and expense of the 2.5 GHz / Mobile WiMAX to have any hope of saving (what it perceives as) its core business of wireless telephony in its 1.9 GHz spectrum. If it doesn't do so, Sprint / Nextel will also fail. (By far, the 2.5 GHz spectrum isn't Sprint / Nextel's only problem, but it's a major distraction that it needs to get resolved to have a chance at survival.)
• The US Government, especially the FCC, is aware of the above two points and purely on that basis - that they don't want to see Sprint/Nextel or Clearwire go down in ruin, or the 2.5 GHz band continue to be vastly underutilized, is motivated to approve this merger of assets. If either entity fails, the operations and spectrum will be absorbed by the incumbent telephony carriers resulting not only in further reduced competition, but "warehousing" of the 2.5 GHz spectrum - for years.
• More competition, however flawed (see below) in telecommunications is a better thing. The Mobile WiMAX technology that "post merger Clearwire" will be deploying makes possible new business models based on Mobile WiMAX which is best described as a "pure Internet" wireless technology.

Flaws and potential problems in the merger? Oh yes, there are! In spades! Craig McCaw is incredibly Machiavellian in his ability to think things through years in advance, and has undoubtedly thought of angles, schemes, and dodges - regulatory, operational, legal, and legislative that no one else has even imagined. It could end up being business as usual - the potential of the Mobile WiMAX technology subsumed into being yet another wireless telephony provider.

But what other choice is there, really, for the 2.5 GHz spectrum to actually get some use? Better to let "post-merger Clearwire" give it a shot than let that spectrum continue to lie fallow, or worse, let it fall into the hands of the incumbent wireless telephony carriers that will just end up warehousing it.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Other BWIA / WiMAX Blogs And Sites - Sageni

With putting in a "blogroll" on BWIA / WiMAX News, there are so many blogs and sites that I should list that for the foreseeable (until I get every one listed that I know about - it'll take a while) future, I'm going to make this a twice-weekly feature.

Tuesday's BWIA / WiMAX Blog / Site to be added is:

Sageni - www.sageni.com

Sageni is the consulting operation of Patrick Leary, formerly of Alvarion. To those really on the inside track of Broadband Wireless Internet Access and WiMAX, Leary is near-legendary. Leary first came to my attention as one of the very few representatives of vendors that understood very early on that smaller service providers, often underfunded and operating in overlooked rural areas (the "Broadband Boonies") were going to be important in the evolution of the Internet. Leary was ubiquitous on the mailing lists that the Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) used to educate themselves, and Leary impressed me, and many others, in trying to explain the real facts of the FCC's Part 15 rules as they actually applied to the WISPs business practices. When BWIA really took off apart from the wireless telephony industry, Leary rode his knowledge and impressive set of contacts to well-deserved promotions within Alvarion, and became a spokesman for Alvarion and the BWIA industry as a whole at conferences, FCC hearings, and much other impressive work behind the scenes. Alvarion was one of the foundational vendors of WiMAX (both fixed and mobile), and Leary was on the inside track of the rise of WiMAX.

Most impressive to me is that Leary is absolutely a straight-shooter when it comes to what BWIA / WiMAX can, and cannot do. Leary is far, far better qualified than "industry analysts" because of his hands-on involvement in real-world BWIA / WiMAX deployments -from small one-person operations in rural areas, to large urban deployments that would ultimately serve millions of users.

Now that Leary has evolved beyond the confines of a single vendor, he can offer his hard-won, real-world expertise totally independently, and now that he's independent, Patrick Leary is my primary recommendation for a BWIA / WiMAX consultant.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Living With The iPhone 3G, Part 4

In this installment of Living With The iPhone 3G, I'll discuss the Apple / AT&T Mobility ecosystem - a bit of big picture, but mostly how it relates to me as an ordinary iPhone user. I am writing these articles in installments, so they are a bit disjointed, and overlapping at points. When I'm done with all the installments, I'll probably rework them all into one big, coherent article.

Previous installments of this series include:

In Living With The iPhone 3G, Part 1 I discussed things that I think were done well in the iPhone 3G.

In Living With The iPhone 3G, Part 2 I discussed things that I think weren't done so well with the iPhone 3G, were done incompletely, and some that were just plain wrong.

In Living With the iPhone 3G, Part 3 I discussed that my iPhone Safari browser problems were mostly fixed and my satisfying experience at the local Apple store.

Status report on my iPhone 3G Safari Browser crashes. Mostly it's fixed, but not completely. The Safari browser still crashes, but at a mostly acceptable rate. I guess I can buy having a browser crash occasionally - every one I've used does crash occasionally. But what I have trouble buying, especially from the experiece I've come to expect from current generation Apple products, is that it's not all that hard to go to a web site (especially sites that are "too rich" in graphics, widgets, dancing bears, etc.) that can not only lock up the Safari browser, but completely lock up the iPhone 3G! That's really unacceptable for a phone.

It really makes Apple seem hypocritical that one of the reasons they give for keeping the distribution "closed" for the iPhone is to insure that third-party apps are "well-behaved" and don't affect the iPhone adversely... and one of Apple's primary apps (for some of us - the primary app!) for the iPhone 3G can lock up the iPhone 3G. Fortunately, to date, I've been able to recover by holding down the power button causing a full reboot of the iPhone 3G. But... that should never be necessary, especially in a system that's supposed to be running what amounts to a Real Time Operating System (RTOS) that should not allow any process to monopolize the OS. Apparently the OSX underpinnings of the iPhone 3G, or Apple's prowess in software engineering is not nearly as robust as they want us to believe.

But back to the iPhone ecosystem.

The first and biggest point about the iPhone ecosystem is that the iPhone is the first, and to date, the best "full communications "device. We've had very good phones. We've had very good phones that do a great job at email (BlackBerry). We've even some pretty handheld web browsers. But what the iPhone does is bring those capabilities together, plus making it a well-supported, general purpose computer that's comfortable enough to take with you wherever you go. I don't remember who coined this phrase, but it's a good one - the iPhone is an "unconscious carry" device. In short, it's good enough to do most of the things you need it to do.

It's the integration of all those functions in the iPhone that's compelling.

We've had phones that are essentially general purpose computers before (Symbian-based). But they weren't well-supported, at least to anywhere near the extent of the iPhone. Yes, there are a lot of applications out there for the Symbian... but does the average user of a Symbian-based phone know how to get those apps onto their phone? Or even where to get them?

We've also had phones that had decent web browsers (Symbian / Opera). But very few web sites went to the trouble of detecting that those browsers were being used and changing the display of the content to accommodate. But that changed with the iPhone; it had enough market share that it was worth adapting their web sites to look (and work) well on the iPhone.

Another thing that is markedly different with the iPhone and previous generations of mobile phones and handheld Internet devices is that Apple's worldview dominates the overall iPhone experience. Little of the iPhone experience involves AT&T. You get content from iTunes Store (via your desktop computer), you get additional apps from the App Store, you sync your content either via your desktop computer or Apple's new MobileMe service. "About all that's left for AT&T in the iPhone experience is the phone calls and the voice mail.

In the iPhone, AT&T's portion of the experience has been commoditized. But then again, AT&T gets paid a spiff by every (US) iPhone user, so what's to say that being commoditized is necessarily a bad thing? On the other hand... AT&T bears the enormous burden of building, running, and ever-expanding a Broadband Wireless Internet Access network that's expected to be ubiquitous, fast, and reliable.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) ; Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

802.11Y Approved For US 3.65 GHz Band

Via Dewayne-Net, word is circulating that 802.11Y has been approved.

802.11Y is a standard for the 3.65 - 3.70 GHz band in the US. The distinguishing features of this band are some unique rules that the FCC has crafted for it:

• All systems are licensed, but the licensing is pretty easy; basically just an application / registration form, done online, stating where the base stations are and who the responsible party is, and that the systems will be outside a "protection zone" for the incumbent satellite earth stations.
• Systems used must adhere to a "contention protocol"; essentially - all users must "get along"
• Early users have no inherent preference
• Later users must be accommodated by earlier users

The Dewayne-Net posting pointed to a Wikipedia article - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11y. It's well-written, and a better explanation of the particulars of 802.11Y than I can offer, given that I haven't followed the development of 802.11Y.

This sets up something of a battle... as the vast majority of the systems being deployed to date in 3.65 GHz are based on 802.16 - Fixed (the older version) WiMAX, and more recently, Mobile WiMAX. That's pretty natural given that one of the first bands that WiMAX was developed for was 3.5 GHz. Most countries, except the US, have opened up bands centered around 3.5 GHz for deployment of Broadband Wireless Internet Access. (In the US, the 3.5 GHz band was previously allocated to, and is in use by, the US military.

But Fixed WiMAX and Mobile WiMAX weren't designed with contention in mind - they were really designed for use in licensed spectrum where there is no contention issues; one company has been allocated exclusive use of spectrum and therefore doesn't have to worry about contention; they can self-coordinate.

I haven't read 802.11Y to see the particulars, but one issue comes immediately to mind - channel size. (Entirely from memory...) One key advantage that 802.16 would seem to have over 802.11Y is that the former has specific provisions for channel sizes as small as 5 MHz; that's a good fit for the 3.65 GHz's 50 MHz. But (again, entirely from memory) 802.11's "base" channel size, if 802.11Y doesn't modify it, is 22 MHz (2.4 GHz) and 20 MHz (5 GHz); that's not such a great fit for a band that's 50 MHz wide.

It's good to see things progressing, such as new standards evolving, and good to see 3.65 GHz being so actively used, such as Towerstream's recent deployment of Mobile WiMAX technology, using 3.65 GHz, in Chicago. My kudos to Julius Knapp of the FCC and Robert Pepper, formerly of the FCC, who championed 3.65 GHz against considerable skepticism of the "licensed lite" concept. In particular, I'll admit that my fears that the licensing would quickly be "gamed" by unscrupulous speculators, was apparently unfounded.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Thursday's Thoughts - Updates, Shameless Commerce

Ripoff First - if you're reading these words on a site or a feed other than www.bwianews.com, with my smiling visage in the upper left corner, the content you're reading is basically being ripped off from the original authors. Like every other web author, I have searches running for various keywords, etc. relevant to me, and I've seen my writing show up regularly on other sites, apparently from robotic harvesters. It probably isn't worth the effort to go after them, but such sites aren't anything I'd bother to read since there's no original content and apparently no human judgement being applied to what's posted. But then, I'm not the target customer for such sites, which seem largely to exist solely to collect clicks on Google AdSense ads.

Site Update For me, Thursdays usually aren't much for news, so that seems a good day to occasionally post such some info about site updates - Thursday's Thoughts. The vast majority of the time, BWIA / WiMAX News will be just that - news and insights on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX.

Consolidating My BWIA Content I'm in the process of shutting down my various other BWIA-related sites, moving the content here to BWIA / WiMAX News, and then redirecting the domain names. Unmaintained blogs and sites are just too sad - for readers and for the authors. I think the idea of a "self-franchised" portfolio of blogs and sites was fundamentally sound. I believe I that I finally got the model worked out, and once I had that, I believe it could have worked if I'd had more time and money to execute... but I ran out of both. I'll be writing up what I learned and planned to do, some of it for public consumption at www.ordinaryblogging.com. The detailed business model may end up as a small, self-published book.

... Starting with Independent Clearwire Blog I'll talk more about this when I do a proper migration (learned a few things...), but the content from  Independent Clearwire Blog has already  been migrated here as a test.

Shameless Commerce (yeah, I'm a fan) I'll also do a more proper, formal job of this next item in the future, but I figured I'd get the ball rolling. You'll see mention of this weekly. Gotta pay the bills, especially in this era. As you can see, AdSense, for me, has degenerated into the lowest common denominator for "wireless", and thus the ads, for readers of BWIA / WiMAX News are practically useless. I have (frustratingly!) almost no control over what ads appear here - I can "veto" certain ads that are particularly galling, but that quickly becomes a fool's errand. It would be ideal if I could specifically permit ads from certain companies, but that doesn't seem to be an option for Adsense. So...

Are you or your company interested in Sponsoring or Advertising on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News? I'm certainly open to the possibility - just email me to start the discussion. (Serious offers only, please from recognized companies in the BWIA industry; the offers of "authored articles" and link exchanges will, and are, considered spam.)

New Feature - Other BWIA Blogs And Sites I'll also do a more proper, formal job of this next item, also due to be a weekly minor feature, but I'll be gradually populating the "Other BWIA Blogs And Sites" (AKA, LinkRoll) sidebar on the right. I plan to add one site per week, with a brief explanation of its significance within the Broadband Wireless Internet Access industry.

This week, because the WiMAX World conference is being held this week, the Link Of The Week is of course, WiMAX World, and as introduction, I'll cite yesterday's article - WiMAX World Conference Is This Week.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); using (authorized) Wi-Fi at an undisclosed location, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); using (authorized) Wi-Fi at an undisclosed location, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

WiMAX World Conference Is This Week

WiMAX World USA is this week in Chicago, Illinois - September 30th - October 2nd.

I wish I was attending. Big conferences like this are total immersion, totally fascinating learning experiences. In years past when I was actively attending such conferences, at best I did an adequate job of capturing and conveying all I learned. But now the tools, and my techniques, have vastly improved, such as the iPhone, and portable recorders that could convert an rough interview to a polished podcast with an absolute minimum of processing.

Anyone looking for an eclectic Analyst to cover (Broadband) Wireless Internet Access that, among other things, would attend conferences such as WiMAX World and report back, in depth (either for public consumption or private analysis)?

There used to be a number of conferences relating to Broadband Wireless Internet Access, but the BWIA industry has largely consolidated down to WiMAX as the dominant technology. With travel / education funds very precious for attendees, and marketing dollars even more precious for exhibitors, both have inevitably gravitated toward the conference that does the best job of covering WiMAX and away from the more general conferences like Wireless Communications Association's two annual conferences.

WiMAX World hasn't always been that good. In the first few years, it was almost entirely cheerleading and supposition and empty posturing. But with real WiMAX / Mobile WiMAX hardware shipping for several years now, numerous rounds of interoperability testing completed, and most importantly - real world deployments, now WiMAX World is a "real", solid conference that's easily justified in attending. To their credit, two things that WiMAX World did very well was to 1) form a solid relationship with the relevant trade association (WiMAX Forum) and 2) have WiMAX World conferences in other parts of the world closer to the most rapid deployments.

The only real competition for WiMAX World are the various "mega" wireless conferences such as CTIA Wireless in the US, and other regional conferences in other parts of the world focused on wireless telephony technology. While there's clearly momentum in wireless telephony technology...

I think that Mobile WiMAX is positioned to be "disruptive technology" in the end, ultimately supplanting the legacy wireless telephony systems as "voice as a cash cow" is ultimately subsumed into "just another type of service delivered via the Internet".

Mobile WiMAX is fundamentally better than the legacy wireless telephony technologies at providing Broadband Internet Access - best quality, best speed, best cost-effectiveness, best coverage (the technology's capabilities, not the current coverage), best spectrum efficiency... etc.

And I think that getting people... and devices... connected to the Internet is the primary requirement in this half of the 21st century.

One of the strongest predictors of this trend is to watch what technologies are being adapted for new portions of spectrum. In the US, the wireless telephony companies are so dominant that new bands such as AWS were snapped up and used for legacy wireless telephony. Yet even with that dominance, Mobile WiMAX is making inroads in the US. The problematic Wireless Communications Service (WCS) band at 2.3 GHz, interleaved with the Digital Audio Radio Service (satellite - Sirius / XM) with its high-powered terrestrial "repeaters" is being used for Mobile WiMAX. But more telling of how adaptable Mobile WiMAX is the 3.65 GHz band now being used by many service providers large and small with a large choice of systems and vendors. And in my reading, I'm seeing this happen as portions of spectrum are continuously being repurposed all over the world - Mobile WiMAX seems to be the preferred technology.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A on a MacBook Pro laptop.