Wireless Broadband in NA

Wireless Broadband in NA:

Intense activity in the NA wireless broadband news. Operators, be they telcos, ISPs, MSOs, or satellite providers, are seeking ways to deliver high-speed data and voice services to consumers and businesses beyond their conventional reach. The result is an unbelievable amount of field tests across North America. Sprint Nextel, BellSouth, EarthLink and Verizon are leading the way. Sprint Nextel started Flarion' s Flash OFDM-based tests several months ago, then is sampling UMTS TD-CDMA technology in the 2.5-gigahertz (GHz) frequency range from IPWireless in Washington, before testing the IEEE 802.16e mobile WiMAX standard separately with Samsung, Intel and Motorola. Bellsouth, backed by Navini gear, is trialing wireless broadband service in Athens, GA and in Palatka, Fl. Bellsouth now is deploying the service in parts of the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast battered by Hurricane Katrina. Verizon also commits to wireless broadband and plans to expand its use of wireless broadband to two Illinois towns. Earthlink, one of the largest ISPs in NA, is focusing on municipal Wi-Fi networks. It just garnered the contract for deploying a citywide WiFi network in Philadelphia, and submits a bid to San Francisco, Denver and Portland. Earthlink' s strategy in fact highlights the challenge ISPs have to face with cable companies and ILECs not obliged to share their broadband access. In Canada, Rogers and Bell Canada signed an agreement to jointly build and manage a Canada-wide wireless broadband network, called Inukshuk.