Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) News

Interview on Plutopia News Network Podcast

Plutopia News Network - STEVE STROH: BROADBAND ACCESS

(April 29, 2021) With Scoop and Jon, technology writer and broadband consultant Steve Stroh discusses broadband access, rural wireless Internet providers, satellite-based Internet, fiber networks, and much more.

“If you can get fiber, do it. Because it is the best, highest quality – not just fastest, but it’s the best option for broadband Internet access. Because, basically, it’s pure data. You’ve got a pair of glass fibers dedicated to you, typically straight between your house or business and the central office. Or wherever it’s going to be hubbed out of. It’s immune to electrical interference, it’s generally immune to everything – water doesn’t bother it, it’s not shared with other people, and about the only thing that can take out fiber is squirrels or backhoes.”

Steve writes about about Broadband Wireless Internet Access systems and technology. In 1997 he started a column about wireless for Internet Service Providers called Wireless Data Developments in Boardwatch Magazine in April, 1997. He’s currently thinking and writing about Independent Broadband Networks, small broadband networks usually in rural areas.

Direct link to MP3 audio file of the interview:
https://media.blubrry.com/plutopia_news_network/s/plutopia.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Steve-Stroh.mp3

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My wonderful wife Tina frequently accuses me of under-promoting myself, and I'm guilty as charged. I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago as soon as it was publicly available.

This interview was a fun conversation with Jon Lebkowsky, a techie of long-standing (exceeding my long standing techie-ness) and his podcasting partner-in-crime Scoop Sweeney on their eclectic podcast Plutopia News Network.

This interview came out of writing my story Why Starlink Will Win Rural Broadband. Jon and I are participants in "a certain online community (which I cannot name)" and as part of the discussions in that community about Starlink, Jon invited me to do an interview. Jon and Scoop were easy to talk to and asked good questions. They teased out the quote which quite dramatically starts the podcast. The hour plus of our conversation flew by quickly.

Thanks for reading!
Steve Stroh
Bellingham, Washington, USA
2021-05-13
Portions Copyright © 2021 by Steven K. Stroh

 

Articles About Sprint Nextel And Clearwire Reviving Partnership Agreement

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 29, 2008 - Clearwire, Sprint talking again

Glenn Fleishman does a good review of the Motorola Expedience PC Card

From Good Evening, BWIA - Thursday in Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX News:

I was impressed with Fleishman's pretty thorough review of the Expedience PC Card as used on Clearwire's Seattle-area Expedience network. I was surprised that Glenn reported no problems using it while actually mobile (street speeds, not freeway speeds). I know that Glenn knew better than to call Expedience "WiMAX", and he did a good job explaining that Expedience and Clearwire-to-date isn't WiMAX to his readers.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2007 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

By-now obligatory Clearwire Rumor of the day

From Good Day, BWIA - Wednesday in Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX News:

Today's rumored acquirer? Comcast, according to Seattle Post Intelligencer writer John Cook... but citing no sources for this rumor. Imagine... all the efficiency and customer service of Comcast applied to wireless... fascinating to imagine.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2007 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

Would Google just buy Sprint Nextel?

Excerpt from Good Day, BWIA - Monday on Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX News:

Rich Tehrani Says Maybe. I say No Way. Sprint Nextel is nothing resembling a strategic fit for Google - it's in all the wrong businesses to complement Google's core competence of Internet-based services accessible via Broadband Internet Access, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), voice-centric technology, dealing with retail customers, etc. But Google could buy Clearwire. Their stock is cheap from the shellacking Clearwire took after last week's announcement that Sprint Nextel wouldn't be proceeding with a strategic partnership for both parties to build out complementary Mobile WiMAX networks on their respective 2.5 GHz spectrum. Clearwire's in the "do whatever you want with your Internet connectivity" business using (soon) designed-for-Internet Mobile WiMAX technology.

By Steve Stroh

Fine Print / Boilerplate / Acknowledgements / Credits / FAQs (Last updated 2007-11-06)

This article is Copyright © 2007 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

Good Overview Of Clearwire's Moves In Europe

(This article was originally posted on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News blog, permalink www.bwianews.com/2005/08/good_overview_o.html.)

Justin Springham, Senior Editor, Europe, for Unstrung.com does a good overview of Clearwire's European activities in his article Clearwire Expands in Europe.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2005, 2007 by Steve Stroh. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged.)

Good Article On Clearwire From Florida Times-Union

(This article was originally posted on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News blog, permalink  www.bwianews.com/2004/06/good_article_on.html.)

Jacksonville, Florida will be the launch market for Clearwire, Craig McCaw's just-announced BWIA service.

In a story in the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union titled Wireless Internet coming to Duval (if memory serves, Duval is the county surrounding Jacksonville), Timothy Gibbons does a good job of explaining what Clearwire is all about, and why the locals should be interested in the new service that will be available later this summer. A companion piece Questions & Answers: Service provides speed without a physical link, reveals that Daytona and Orlando, Florida are among the list of "20 cities" that Clearwire will deploy in the coming year.

While I'm quoted in the story, that's not why I'm bringing it to your attention; Gibbons did his homework on Clearwire, including an interview with Craig McCaw in Washington DC shortly after McCaw's speech at the WCA yesterday. For example, Gibbons is the only popular press writer (that I recall) that makes the point that Jacksonville was also the the test market for Clearwire's previous incarnation using a different technology.

Steve Stroh

Copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Steve Stroh. This article originally appeared on Corante / Broadband Wireless Internet Access.

Good Business Week Story On Clearwire

(This article was originally posted on Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX News blog, permalink www.bwianews.com/2004/05/good_business_w.html.)

Business Week's May 24th edition published a clueful article on Clearwire by Andrew Park and Steve Rosenbush titled "Craig McCaw's Secret Plan". It's a good overview considering it's in a mainstream business publication... but then I'm a bit biased as I was quoted twice in the article.

By Steve Stroh

Copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Steve Stroh. This article originally appeared on Corante / Broadband Wireless Internet Access.