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National Communications Forum: Session PCS 10. Wireless Broadband Access Session: PCS 10 Tuesday, October 17. Judith Hellerstein, President Hellerstein & Associates 2400 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 1023C Washington, DC 20037 Phone: (202) 333-6517 Fax: (509) 355-9792
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National Communications Forum: Session PCS 10 Wireless Broadband Access Session: PCS 10 Tuesday, October 17 Judith Hellerstein, President Hellerstein & Associates 2400 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 1023C Washington, DC 20037 Phone: (202) 333-6517 Fax: (509) 355-9792 Judithh@jhellerstein.com www.jhellerstein.com
OUTLINE • Demand drivers for broadband access • What is fixed broadband wireless access? • Four types of access technologies • MMDS • LMDS • DEMS • 38 GHz • Benefits and challenges • Target markets and market deployment
Market Size • Services • Two Analyst views • Strategis: 2003 – $9.6B • Pioneer: 2007 – $14B • Major Investments • Sprint MMDS acquisitions Apr/99 for $870M • MCI MMDS acquisitions Apr/99 for $805.6M • Significant equipment R&D investments
Demand Drivers for Broadband Access • Internet growing at exponential rates. By 2002, data will account for 99% of all traffic through the network • By 2003, more than 50% of all Internet access will be through broadband: DSL, Cable and Wireless • More than half of all broadband access will be through DSL • One in four users will be in smaller markets • Strong demand in small, midsize and semi-rural markets • Data traffic demand is driving access market to provide high-capacity transport • Limitations of Fiber/DSL technology are driving the broadband wireless industry
Bandwidth/Voice Supply & Demand Global Bandwidth Demand Gbps Source: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Research
Estimated Growth in Consumer Broadband Access # of Households Source: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Research
Broadband is Changing the Shape of Business Access Business Access Revenue Forecasts $1,339 $957 $893 $114 Revenues $ Millions $161 $19 Source: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Research
What is Broadband Wireless Access? • Wireless broadband access uses radio spectrum rather than copper or fiber optic cable as a medium for transporting telecommunications and data traffic • Uses spectrum from24 GHz to 42 GHz • Value of spectrum depends on the frequency selected • Targeted deployment • Interface supports voice, data,a nd video services • Bandwidth is shared among users in a cell. • Wireless infrastructure: • Mobile: unable to provide broadband services • Fixed: able to overcome the bottleneck in the first or last mile
Fixed Broadband Wireless Technology • Technology used to deliver wireless access: • Point-to-point • Point-to-multipoint • Allows high speed, high capacity two way multimedia service to be delivered quickly to consumer. • Fixed wireless access uses spectrum between 24-42 GHz • ATM air interface supports voice, data, and video services • Bandwidth shared among users in a cell • Bandwidth applications from 64K to 155 Mb
Microwave • Licensed and unlicensed • Licensed, MMDS, LMDS, DEMS, 38-39 GHZ • Unlicensed 900-904 MHz, 2.4 GHz- 5.7 GHz
Frequencies • Frequencies available for delivering broadband • Spectrum used is typically above 2 GHz • Lower frequencies are often used for mobile applications, while higher frequencies are used for fixed wireless access • Fixed Wireless technologies include: LMDS, MMDS, and DEMS • Fixed wireless spectrum lies between 24-42 GHz • Both Licensed and unlicensed bands are available • Unlicensed bands include 2.5, 5, 18, and 60 GHz bands (ex. Metricom’s Ricochet) • Licensed bands include 2.6, 24-26, 28-30, and 38-40 GHz bands • In the US, about 100 MHz is available in the MMDS band near 2.6 GHz and 1.3 MHz is available in the LMDS band near 30 GHz and 1.4 GHz is available near 40 GHz
Fixed Wireless Systems Architectures • Point -to-Point • Point-to-Multipoint • Point to Consecutive point
Fixed Wireless Systems • Point -to-Point • Network Architecture consists of a single link between two points, typically two rooftop antennas • Line of sight connection is needed between the two antennas • Each point must be within 1-3 miles of the system’s hub site Base Station Single Customer
Point-to-Point (contined) • The hub aggregates the traffic from multiple radios and then the traffic is backhauled to the company’s switch
Benefits of Point-to-Point Architecture • Much less expensive than building a fiber network. • Additional links added as need arises • Ease of additional provisioning • Highly flexible and easy to control
Equipment • The major providers are: • Digital Microwave • Harris Corporation • Wavespan • Glenayre
Point-to-Multipoint • Systems are comprised of four main elements • Hubs • Radios • Customer premise equipment (CPE), and • Network management systems • Customers access the network by sending voice and data traffic over the local network to a central hub-site as a radio signal. At the hub-site, the signal is converted back into voice and/or data traffic
Point-to-Multipoint (continued) • Operates as a “hub and spoke” linking a single radio hub with multiple rooftop antennas • Since each hub site serves several buildings, this type of technology enables service providers to offer faster, cheaper, and more comprehensive serivces • Multiple radios can then be combined to offer 100% coverage. Up to several thousand customers Base Station
Point-to-Multipoint (continued) • Enables costs to be spread out more evenly among customers • Uses spectrum more efficiently than point-to-point systems • Difficulty in adding additional spectrum because of FCC imposed spectrum caps • Enables bandwidth on demand on a pay per use basis
Equipment providers • The major providers are • Nortel • Newbridge Networks • Lucent • Alcatel • Spike Technologies
Point to Consecutive Point • Being deployed by Advanced Radio Telecom using Triton’s technology • The technology is configured as a point-to-point redundant ring architecture capable if providing 100 Mbs of bandwidth in each direction of the ring • Ring configuration allows network operators the ability to expand the geographic area covered by an operator • Capacity can be expanded by deploying additional rings in the area • Network is fully redundant • Rings are self healing • Architecture is similar to SONET
Four Types of Access Technologies • MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Services) • DEMS (Digital Electronic Messaging Service) • LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution Service) • 38-39 GHZ
Wireless DSL Consortium • Wireless DSL Consortium formed in July 2000 • New group composed of Fixed Broadband Wireless equipment and chip manufacturers, system integrators, and service providers whose goals are: • To define, develop, and implement a set of open interfaces for MMDS products. • Enable quality of service control to the end-user • Improve Wireless broadband coverage to non line-of-sight customers • Create protocol specifications, interoperability standards, and validation methods for testing of new standard. • Members include, ADC Telecommunications, Conexant Systems, Gigabit Wireless, Intel, Nortel Networks, Nucentrix, Sprint, Vyyo, and Worldcom
Standards-based Fixed Broadband Wireless • Allows service providers to mass deploy Fixed Broadband Wireless equipment and service • Lack of standards leads to market fragmentation, low volumes, and high cost • Promotes interoperability of technologies and leads to increased customer choice • Allows the market to provide more product and supplier alternatives than possible without a standard • Helps focus industry on resolving other challenges necessary to reach mass deployment • Lowers costs to suppliers and to consumers • Increases choice of providers and greater selection of products
MMDS • Frequency Band: 2.5 GHz • Formerly a one-way service, but in September 1998 FCC rules allowed for the commencement of two-way service • In August 2000, the FCC began accepting applications by carriers wishing to convert their one-way MMDS spectrum into two-way spectrum • Data rates: 128 Kbit/s ~ 1.544 Mbit/s • Originally designed for the delivery of cable TV signals • Supercell approach • Market players: Sprint & MCI WorldCom have the potential to cover 60% of US households
DEMS • Frequency Band:24 GHz • Requires a cell radius of 2~3 miles • Data rates: 1.54 Mbit/s • Market player: Teligent holds between 80 and 400 MHz of spectrum in 74 markets • Only commercial carrier in the market
LMDS • Frequency band: 28-31 GHz • Largest block of spectrum ever authorized by the FCC • Capability: • multichannel video programming • two-way voice and data services • Data Rates: 64 Kbps ~ 155 Mbps • Market player: Nextlink
Typical LMDS User Equipment Roof Antenna/Transceiver Indoor Unit Rx Network Interface Unit (Indoor Unit) Ethernet User Interface RF Unit (Outdoor Unit) Power Tx Prime AC Power User Terminal 1-10 Mbps
38 GHz • FCC recently auctioned off spectrum • Previously licensing of companies had been done on a case-by-case basis • Market players: • Winstar • Advanced Radio Telecom (ART) • AT&T
Target Markets • Target Markets • SOHO • Small Business • Medium Business • Residential • Demand for high speed access over the past two years has resulted in 35-40% growth rates
Benefits of Fixed Broadband Wireless • Provides bandwidth and access speeds equal or greater than ADSL or cable modems • Offers quick installation as compared to wired systems • Can extend the reach of fiber or coax by providing the “last mile” of the network • Fast market entry for service providers as compared to wired systems • Low startup and entry costs • Pay as you go approach: carriers only required to add equipment as the number of users grow • Operator control over facilities • Flexibility of deployment, especially in medium--high population densities where penetration rates are initially low
Services • High speed data bursting as high as 20 Mbs • Local Exchange and Long Distance • Video Conferencing • Training and Distance Learning • Remote medical diagnostics • Virtual Private Networks
Benefits and Comparison Wire-line Wireless MMDS LMDS
Alternative High-speed Access Technologies • Cable modem • DSL • Broadband Satellite • Fiber • Mobile- 3G service
Challenges • Overcoming line-of-sight limitations, such as terrain and tree foliage • Weather related signal loss • Broadband wireless technology is not as well understood as broadband wired technologies • Although spectrum is available, equipment is not readily available • Technology for the higher frequencies is just now coming to market • Lack of any high volume production of equipment needed • 155 Mb modems are only produced in low-volume, high-cost production • Technology for low-cost, high speed burst modems is available but systems have not been produced.
Conclusion • Fixed BWA will provide alternatives to ADSL, T1 lines and HFC systems to deliver broadband services to both business and residential customers. • Fixed BWA will complement, not replace wired systems. • Fixed BWA systems will be used to extend the connectivity to fiber optic networks.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Judith Hellerstein, President Hellerstein & Associates 2400 Virginia Avenue NW Washington, DC 20037 Phone: (202) 333-6517 Fax: (509) 355-9792 Judith@jhellerstein.com www.jhellerstein.com Thank You