Rural subscribers may soon have access to standard-definition
TV and broadband internet access via fixed and mobile connections
following the launch of a radio communications system capable of
transmitting high-speed data.
The technology will also help urban network operators cope with
a rocketing demand for bandwidth caused by the increasing use of
video on mobile handsets, said Robb Henshaw, Proxim's director of
marketing.
The technology, launched in the UK today by US-based
Proxim Wireless, offers
300Mbps and 600Mbps backhaul connections in point-to-point and
point-to-multipoint configurations over 70km using
non-line-of-sight technology. This will expand mobile network
operators' potential reach far beyond the coverage areas published
last week in
Ofcom's 3G maps.
The technology is suitable for use with the latest 4G and Long
Term Evolution (LTE) mobile networks, as well as for "last mile"
connections to areas that would be too expensive to cable, and for
high-definition CCTV surveillance applications. However, consumers
will have to wait until handset makers produce devices capable of
the necessary speeds to deliver high-definition streaming
video.
The products are aimed at three main users: fixed and mobile
network operators and CCTV operators, Henshaw said.
The technology is already under test in the UK, Ireland, and the
US. Earlier Proxim technology was used to deliver the
Cybermoor project to
Alston, Cumbria, a CCTV application for Liverpool docks, and a
digital inclusion project in St Helens, Henshaw said.
According to BT, break-even point for installing a fixed-wire
street cabinet is about 300 homes. "Alston has a total of around
600 homes with a density of about 24 homes per square miles
compared to the national average of 377, and the operators can
afford to change £8.99 a month for a 2Mbps service," Henshaw
said.