wireless broadband service

Leap Wireless details aggressive plans for broadband

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:05:39 -0400

Leap Wireless has some aggressive plans for wireless broadband. The CDMA operator, which offers unlimited CDMA usage plans, said it expects to increase its CDMA EV-DO base to 100,000 by the end of the year, a substantial increase from the 14,000 subscribers it had at the end of the second quarter. The operator only recently launched EV-DO service for $40 per month in a select number of markets but said it plans to cover 60 million pops by the end of the year.

For the second quarter, Leap reported an income of $14.5 million, down from $30.7 million in second quarter 2007. The company blamed the decrease on new initiatives, including the expansion of its service to cover an additional 8 million people, and the launch of wireless broadband service.

For more:
- read RCR Wireless News

Related stories:
Leap adds 171K new subs. Leap story
Cricket inks $126M deal to launch EV-DO Rev. A. EV-DO story

UK provider ready for big WiMAX deployment

Lynnette Luna — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:38:07 -0400

On-Communications, a British wireless broadband service provider targeting the enterprise, said it has committed to a widespread rollout of fixed WiMAX in the U.K.'s major cities and towns. The company's CEO Ian Roberts says WiMAX is ready for "prime-time deployment," and the company will deploy a substantial number of fixed WiMAX base stations in its existing markets, replacing existing fixed-wireless infrastructure.

On-Communications already offers fixed wireless services using unlicensed spectrum in the 5.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands to enterprise users in London and other surrounding cities. The operator won't be bidding on any WiMAX spectrum either, preferring to play in the fixed WiMAX market using unlicensed spectrum. The company claims it can provide the quality of service necessary for enterprise applications such as VoIP and video.

For more:
- check out Unstrung

Related stories:
British Telecom mulling WiMAX play in the U.K. WiMAX U.K. story
UK celcos cry foul over mobile WiMAX license. WiMAX story

Survey: WiMAX appealing to consumers

Lynnette Luna — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:38:17 -0400

A new survey of U.S. wireless users from In-Stat says WiMAX offers the right mix of features and pricing to appeal to consumers. Business users, however, will present a bigger challenge for WiMAX providers because they require ubiquitous coverage.

"When respondents were presented with service examples and picked the one they most preferred, the one representing WiMAX was picked more than two-to-one over the one representing 3G cellular data. Service descriptions include information on coverage, network performance, pricing, and usage limitations," said In-Stat analyst Daryl Schoolar.

Other findings from the survey:

Respondents are very interested in a wireless broadband service that will allow them to connect multiple devices under a single service plan.
Respondents want a service that can meet both their at home and away Internet needs.
Fixed broadband operators are vulnerable to losing subscribers to WiMAX.
Survey respondents reported increased usage of public wireless broadband between 2006 and 2007, with expectations for further increases in 2008.

For more:
- check out this release

Related articles:
Seybold: The new Clearwire--will is succeed?
Industry players discuss the Sprint/Clearwire WiMAX deal

FCC mulling another spectrum auction

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has scheduled a vote on rules for another spectrum auction. And you thought there wasn't any more spectrum to be auctioned. This auction would include 25 megahertz in the 2155 MHz to 2180 MHz band and would require the winning bidder to offer free broadband service under a strict buildout schedule.

It's a similar plan to what M2Z Networks proposed back in 2006. The company asked the FCC for 25 megahertz of vacant spectrum in the 2155 MHz to 2175 MHz band to offer free wireless broadband service. The FCC subsequently dismissed M2Z's request. More recently, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced new legislation, known as the Wireless International Nationwide for Families Act, that would direct the FCC to auction unused spectrum, the 2155 MHz to 2180MHz band, and require the winner to offer a free wireless broadband network that reaches 95 percent of the U.S. population within 10 years.

"We've had a variety of proposals that had come into the commission originally where some people wanted us to give them the spectrum," said Martin in an RCR Wireless News article. The FCC chairman said a vote may be held at the agency's upcoming June 12 meeting, but added it is possible the measure could be approved before that date.

Martin said a licensee of the 2155-2180 MHz spectrum would have to provide a free service tier, and would have to reach 50 percent of the population in four years and 95 percent of the population by the end of the license term.

To read more about the FCC's auction plans:
- check out this article from RCR Wireless News

Related stories:
- Congresswoman proposes free wireless broadband. See this wireless broadband story
- M2Z Networks pushes broadband for the masses. See this M2Z Networks story

Cablevision's answer to WiMAX: WiFi

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Countering the Sprint-Clearwire announcement deal that involves cable operators Time Warner, Comcast and Brighthouse Networks, Cablevision announced plans to spend more than $300 million to roll out WiFi in New York and Long Island during the next two years. Cablevision is looking for ways to compete with Verizon for control of one of the largest markets in the U.S., the company said as it released first quarter earnings last week. Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge told analysts that more than half the homes in its coverage area subscribe to its Internet service, which gives the company enough "critical mass" to offer a wireless broadband service. The service provider said the network could make use of its existing infrastructure but would cost the company a hefty $100 per subscriber.

For more about Cablevision's WiFi plans:
- read this article from the New York Times

Congresswoman proposes free wireless broadband

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) is introducing new legislation, known as the Wireless International Nationwide for Families Act, that would direct the FCC to auction unused spectrum, the 2155 MHz to 2180MHz band, and require the winner to offer a free wireless broadband network that reaches 95 percent of the U.S. population within 10 years.

Sound familiar? Her initiative sounds eerily similar to what M2Z Networks has been petitioning the FCC to do. In 2006, the company asked the FCC for 25 megahertz of vacant spectrum in the 2155 MHz to 2175 MHz band to offer free wireless broadband service. The FCC subsequently dismissed M2Z's request.

Eshoo evidently had conversations with M2Z but her motivation was "primarily to provide alternative means of broadband access for more Americans, and this fallow spectrum seemed to be a real opportunity," her aids claim. Rep. Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who leads a House telecommunications and Internet panel, and Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) have signed on as co-sponsors.

The proposal calls for the winning network operator to:

start offering "always-on" wireless broadband service within two years of receiving the license;
offer free service to consumers and "authorized public safety users;"
make sure the service offers at least 200 kbps transmission speeds in at least one direction (Is that really broadband?)
include "a technology protection measure or measures that protect underage users from accessing obscene or indecent material through such service;" and
offer royalty-free standards so that others can develop and deploy equipment that can operate on the network

To read more about the free wireless broadband proposal:
- check out this Cnet report

Related article:
M2Z Networks pushes broadband for the masses Report on M2Z

ALSO NOTED: LTE approved by 3GPP; Soma will build a mobile WiMAX network in India; and much more...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> 3GPP approved LTE. Article

> American Airlines is testing AirCell's in-flight wireless broadband service. Article (WSJ sub. req.)

> Ericsson signed a frame agreement with Swisscom to expand and upgrade its WCDMA/HSPA network to enable high-speed mobile broadband coverage across 90 percent of Switzerland. Release

> Boingo has chosen JiWire to sell and serve advertising to its WiFi airport hotspots. Release

> Soma Networks has partnered with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., India's state-owned and largest telecommunications company, to deploy an expansive mobile WiMAX network. Article

M2Z makes wholesale deal with rural companies

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

It looks like M2Z Networks is bolstering its case for the free license in the 2155 MHz to 2175 MHz band it wants from the FCC. The company said it inked a wholesale wireless broadband agreement with rural telephone companies--a deal that depends on the company winning its lawsuit against the FCC, which rejected the company's petition to obtain a free 15-year license to build and operate a wireless Internet network to bridge the digital divide.

The deal calls for M2Z to wholesale wireless broadband service to 20 rural wireline operators that in turn would sell the service as part of a bundled offering to customers. M2Z also would purchase access to rural telecom facilities and coordinate marketing with rural telephone service providers.

M2Z filed the suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this week. M2Z's co-founder, John Muleta is a former FCC Wireless Bureau chief, and he claims the FCC violated a number of laws when it rejected its case.

To read more about M2Z's rural deal:
- check out this article from RCR News

Related articles:
M2Z's plan sparks debate on indecency filters. Release
FCC: U.S. doesn't need wireless broadband

M2Z Networks plans to drag the FCC to court

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

M2Z Networks, which asked the Federal Communications Commission last May for 25 megahertz of vacant spectrum to offer free wireless broadband service, announced it plans to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Court to force the commission to make a decision on M2Z's request.

M2Z, formed by former FCC Wireless Bureau chief John Muleta, plans to seek a Writ of Mandamus from the DC court that will direct the FCC to come into immediate compliance with Section 7 of the Telecommunications Act, which M2Z says requires the FCC to make a decision on its request within one year. M2Z says its application has been pending for more than 15 months

According to Section 7 of the Telecommunications Act, "[t]he Commission shall determine whether any new technology or service proposed in a petition or application is in the public interest within one year after such petition or application is filed." The statute also requires that parties who oppose a new technology or service "shall have the burden to demonstrate that such proposal is inconsistent with the public interest."

According to a Dow Jones report, Muleta said his company was informed last week by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's office that he had circulated a plans with four other commissioners to deny M2Z's plan.

M2Z wants to use 25 megahertz of vacant spectrum in the 2155 to 2175 MHz band to provide free wireless broadband service to 95 percent of the U.S. population within 10 years. In return, M2Z would give 5 percent of revenues from the network back to the U.S. Treasury.

For more about M2Z's wireless broadband plans:
- read this article from Dow Jones
- take a look at this release

Urban WiMAX to raise GPB 35 million for U.K. roll-out

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:01:36 -0500

Wireless broadband network operator Urban WiMAX said it would raise £35 million to finance a U.K.-wide roll-out for its WiMAX service. The company has appointed investment bank Rothschild to advise it on the planned fund raising. The company will use the funds to expand its WiMAX service beyond Central London, where it is already running. Urban WiMAX also hinted it might acquire companies holding WiMAX licenses and other wireless broadband operators to facilitate its expansion. "The potential for WiMAX is enormous. Wireless connectivity is no longer just about WiFi connections to the Internet in your office meeting room or Starbucks, it's a primary data connection, offering all the security guarantees that businesses require" said Sasha Williamson, Urban WiMAX's CEO.

Urban WiMAX is not the only British company engaged in WiMAX deployments or trials: Pipex ran a trial service in Statford-upon-Avon; Now operates a commercial service in parts of London aimed at consumers; and Manchester Metronet is running a trial in Manchester. Last month Redline Communications said it was planning on raising £40 million to finance its own WiMAX deployment plans.

For more on Urban WiMAX plans
- see ITPro's report
- Urban WiMAX Web site

For more on Redline Communication's WiMAX plans
-see this ITPro report

MORE: Redline Communication is active not only in the UK: It has reached an agreement with IraTel to bring WiMAX to Iraq, and has recently teamed up with I-Systems to launch a wireless broadband service in Lake Llanquihue, Chile. Report

ALSO: AT&T is running 802.16e trials in Nevada. Report

BellSouth expands WiMAX coverage

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:01:39 -0400

BellSouth Wireless Broadband Service is expanding its services to several more cities in the Southeast--Melbourne, FL, Chattanooga, TN, Greenville, MS, Charleston, SC and Albany, GA. The company will be using the 2.3 GHz WCS spectrum, which it is already using to offer service in Palatka and DeLand, FL, New Orleans, LA and Gulfport, MS. (note that in Athens, GA, the company is using the 2.5 GHz Broadband Radio Services spectrum).

Mel Levine, BellSouth's director of product development, told News Multichannel that the purpose of the expansion is not to replace but complement the company's wired services. "Even in metro areas, we have spaces where we don't have DSL coverage. And then when we get out to rural areas where we have DSL, but it goes so far out and the economics don't carry it farther," he said. "So what you are seeing is our plan using wireless broadband to push broadband farther out."

BellSouth is already using gear from Navini Networks, and for the new deployment it is considering equipment from Alcatel. As we have noted in a previous report, BellSouth faces a serious problem in that the band it operates in is, in fact, a combination of two bands straddling a slice of spectrum used by satellite radio, among them XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. The FCC is yet to determine acceptable levels of signal in that slice of spectrum, leading not only to spill-over interference but also to vendors not knowing exactly how to design their gear to minimize interference.

For more on BellSouth's WiMAX moves:
- see this in-depth Daily Wireless report
- Karen Brown's detailed News Multichannel report
- and BellSouth's Web site