Wireless Broadband

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Wireless Broadband is a fairly new technology that provides high-speed wireless internet and data network access over a wide area.

Contents 1 The Term Broadband 2 Technology and Speeds 2.1 Mobile Wireless Broadband 3 Licensing 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] The Term Broadband

According to the 802.16-2004 standard, broadband means 'having instantaneous bandwidth greater than around 1 MHz and supporting data rates greater than about 1.5 Mbit/s'. This means that Wireless Broadband features speeds roughly equivalent to wired broadband access, such as that of ADSL or a cable modem.

[edit] Technology and Speeds

Many Wireless Broadband services provide average download speeds of over 100Mbps, and is estimated to have a range of 50kM (30 miles)^{[citation needed]}. Technologies used include LMDS and MMDS, and one particular access technology is being standardized by IEEE 802.16, also known as WiMAX.

At first, Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) were only found in rural areas not covered by cable or DSL. These early WISPs would receive a large connection, such as a T1 or DS3 connection, and then prodcast signal from a high elevation, such as at the top of a water tower. To receive this type of internet, consumers would mount a small dish to the roof of their home or office and point it to the transmitter. Line of sight was usually necessary for this type of technology, but technologies by Motorola have not adhered to this general rule.

[edit] Mobile Wireless Broadband

Now, Wireless Broadband technologies include new services from companies such as Verizon, Sprint, and Cingular, which allow a more mobile version of this broadband access. Consumers can purchase a PC-card, laptop-card, or USB equipment to connect their PC or laptop to the internet via cell-phone towers. This type of connection would be stable in any area that could also receive a strong cell-phone connection.

[edit] Licensing

A wireless connection can be either licensed or unlicensed. In the US, licensed connections use a private spectrum the user has secured rights to from the FCC. In other countries, spectrum is licensed from the country's national radio communications authority (such as the ACMA in Australia). Licensing is usually expensive and often reserved for large companies who wish to guarantee private access to spectrum for use in point to point communication. Because of this, most wireless ISP's use unlicensed spectrum which is publicly shared and therefore more prone to interference.

[edit] See also

• WiMAX
• IEEE 802.16
• HIPERMAN
• Clearwire
• Skyriver

[edit] External links

• broadband wireless access home page Broadband Wireless Association
• WISPAWireless Internet Service Provider Association, a WISP trade association