[gu-l] (9/22/01)Multipoint fixed broadband wireless system

[Tak Utsumi]

<<September 22, 2001>>
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Mr. Barry McLarnon, P. Eng. <bm@hydra.carleton.ca>

Alexandre Rivas, Ph.D. <alex_mau@argo.com.br>


Dear Barry:
===========

(1)  I wonder if you know about Western Multiplex point-to-multipoint fixed
     broadband wireless system (ATTACHMENT I).

(2)  I so, pls let me know if it can be applicable to the Manaus Community
     Development Network which we discussed once before -- see its star
     topology at

          http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Manaus%20Workshop/InfoDev_Application/ANNEX_4/Annex_4a.html

(3)  It seems cheaper than using Lucent/Orinoco system.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Best, Tak
         ****************************************
                       ATTACHMENT I
                             
          Multipoint fixed wireless system on tap
                             
 Western Multiplex expands beyond point-to-point systems.
                             
                     By Michael Martin
              (NETWORKWORLD, 9/10/01, Page 8)

ATLANTA - Fixed wireless equipment provider Western Multiplex this week will
unveil its first point-to-multipoint system, an alternative to point-to-point
systems for connecting more than two sites.

Called Tsunami Multipoint, the system consists of a subscriber unit that sits
on the wall or roof of a customer's building and a base station that
aggregates traffic from multiple subscriber units and resides on the top of a
building or tower.

The system, which starts at $5,000 per shared 20M bit/sec base station and
$1,300 per site, would typically be less expensive than a point-to-point
fixed wireless system, but would deliver shared rather than dedicated
bandwidth.

Organizations might also find the new system to be less expensive than
traditional T-1 lines, although trade-offs include having to manage the
Western Multiplex system and overcoming any concerns about wireless
reliability.

While Western Multiplex is not the first company to offer point-to-multipoint
fixed wireless, it is one of the first to do so in the unlicensed 5.8-GHz
band. Other products, both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint, from
vendors such as Cisco, Aperto Networks and Malibu Networks, operate in the
2.4-GHz band.

"There's always some uncertainty if you don't own the spectrum," says Greg
Collins, an analyst with Dell'Oro Group. "But the 5.8-GHz band they're using
is much less crowded than the 2.4-GHz band"

To reassure users, Western Multiplex has added interference blocking
technology, letting users cut out pieces of spectrum that are causing
problems.

Western Multiplex offers 20M bit/sec base stations that can reach out to 8.4
miles and 60M bit/sec base stations that can range to about 5 miles.
Customers can decide how much bandwidth will be dedicated upstream and
downstream. More than 1,000 subscribers can be assigned to one base station.

For larger installations, customers can group up to six base stations to get
up to 360M bit/sec of total bandwidth.

On the subscriber end, each unit connects to a user network through an RJ45
jack.

The subscriber units, which can operate with near-line-of-sight, are deployed
using a sound system to measure signal strength.

Customers can manage their wireless networks with Tsunami software that runs
on Windows NT or 2000 and communicates with SNMP agents residing in the base
stations.

Tsunami Multipoint is functionally compliant with the 802.16b broadband
wireless access standard being hammered out by the IEEE. Product will begin
shipping by December.

Western Multiplex: wwwwmux.com
         ****************************************
                     Distribution List

Mr. Barry McLarnon, P. Eng.
2696 Regina Street
Ottawa, ON, Canada  K2B 6Y1
Home: 613-820-3207
Fax: 613-820-3207 (call first)
Email: bm@hydra.carleton.ca
WWW: http://hydra.carleton.ca/info/wlan.html

Alexandre Rivas, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Director of the Center for Environmental Sciences
University of Amazonas - Brazil
C.P. 4208, Manaus 69053-140
BRAZIL
+55-92-644 23 22
Fax: +55-92-644 23 84
alex_mau@argo.com.br
http://www.argo.com.br/~alex_mau/alex.htm
http://lab-tiama.pop-am.rnp.br/cca/workshop/English/wksp_E.htm
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* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA                  *
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