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Our WiMAX Future: A Talk With PatrickLeary
by AlexGoldman
One of many big changes underdiscussion at the WISPA meeting in is WiMAX and the arrival of new spectrum for use byWireless ISPs. WISPs have been required to used “junk” spectrum since theinception of the industry, and have made an impressive business out of it, butnow that 3.65 GHz spectrum is available, the industry should be able to domore.
“The FCC allocatedthe spectrum to use by the ISPs. It’s a good thing, but I was surprised whenthey did it because the FCC generally does not like to determine the usage ofspectrum,” Leary says.
Leary is nowdirector of sales at Aperto, which was recently acquired by Tranzeo. Beforethat, he was chief evangelist for Alvarion. He has been in the wireless industryfor about as long as most WISPA members (many of whom have been in the internetbusiness since before there was a WISP business).
While the 3.65 GHzspectrum and equipment is attractive, it is quite expensive. Leary says that thenew merger gives WISPs a relatively cheap base station and a clear upgrade path.“The TranzeoPico base station costs about $2,000 and can support over 30 CPE,” hesays.
The step up fromthat is the Aperto PM 5000, costing about $5,000 and supporting about 250 CPEper sector over three 120 degree sectors. “The WISP may need to flash the CPEsoftware, but will need no new hardware,” he says.
“Tranzeo specializesin low-cost CPE and for years made CPE sold under other names besides its own,”Leary notes.
Throughput dependsin part on channel size, but channels of up to 10 MHz are available,theoretically enabling speeds of up to 25 Mbps. However, best practice suggeststhat WISPs use more channels covering a smaller amount of spectrum in order togain the most from their deployments and to avoid interference with others’deployments, according to Leary
3.65 GHz equipmentis attractive to WISPs that find the 2.4 GHz and 5.x GHz bands to be crowded,Leary notes. He also notes that the FCC’s “License Lite” rules for the spectrumprotect those that deploy equipment because the rules force anyone using thespectrum to work with those who have already deployed equipment in order toavoid interference. For this reason, any large company that wants to become amonopoly provider may not like the rules, but they help and protect WISPs, whoexpect to compete in a free market. “Big money avoids occupied markets,” Learysays.
The government coulddo more for the industry. Leary notes that allocated the 1.8 GHz spectrum for use byutilities, and utilitiesare lobbying for the same action to be taken in the
The broadband stimulus has, so far,killed off business in North America as some ISPs waited to see whether theirapplications for stimulus money would be successful, and even those who did notapply waited to see whether or not their neighbors would get money. Of course,that situation could change when and if the broadband stimulus money isawarded.
802.16d
Leary is a strongsupporter of the 802.16d (fixed) WiMAX standard. He says that the fixed standardreceived the sort of treatment that WISPs all too often get in the corridors ofpower when the needs of WISPs and cellular providers are ranked side by side. Hesays that the one advantage of the mobile standard over fixed is that 802.16e(mobile) WiMAX supports multi-radio systems, which are equally useful in forestsand in urban canyons.
He says that toomany equipment makers saw a mass market in cellular WiMAX, but none in fixedwireless broadband WiMAX. “That was a mistake.”
“The WiMAX dream wasopenness. The user would choose the best device for them, connect to an opennetwork, and use whatever applications they wanted to use on thatnetwork.”
But the realities ofthe cellular business intruded. Cellular companies wanted to continue to makedeals with equipment makers and to earn money from applications that run ontheir network.
“My favoriteapplication on my Verizon Storm is the GPS Navigator. In the WiMAX world,Verizon would earn no money from this application running on itsnetwork.”
In practice, Learysays, WiMAX deployments are fixed broadband. “Where are the buyers for mobileWiMAX? If 802.16d supported MIMO, there would be no need for802.16e.”
Lookingahead
“WISPA members builtthis industry. WISPA members are the blacksmiths who built the wheel – and theydid it with their own money.”
Leary says that hesuspects most WISPA members will first deploy WiMAX for their best customers.Many WISPs have a small number of business customers who can pay for morebandwidth and will notice the advantages (including in QoS) that WiMAX canbring, he says. Then, WISPs can gradually deploy WiMAX to the rest of theircustomers.