Skip to main content

WiMAX to Benefit Broadband Disenfranchised

According to Kagan Research, U.S. households that have lacked broadband availability comprise a last frontier in telecom, but are now being corralled. Terrestrial wireless WiMAX network installations are scheduled to start next year.

"Because of the costs to deploy DSL and cable modem service, the big carriers have mostly focused on densely populated areas, but that's overlooking the 5,000 towns with fewer than 70,000 people in the U.S.," says Kelley Dunne, CEO of Digital Bridge Communications, which provides WiMAX broadband services and support services to other WiMAX providers. It's estimated that over 14 million U.S. households lack affordable broadband connectivity and, Dunne adds, millions more are poorly served.

Some of those towns may be nominally serviced by some broadband service. But usually coverage is patchy, prices high and capabilities limited, says Dunne, who apparently witnessed these issues while he was an executive with Verizon. WiMAX standardization is lowering equipment costs and first-wave deployments overseas prove WiMAX service is viable, notes Dunne.

Other WiMAX advantages are equipment that consumers can quickly self-install -- "in some cases under two minutes," says Dunne -- and robust service. However, WiMAX faces challenges as well. The WiMAX Forum consortium set 3.5 GHz as a 'standard frequency' globally -- well everywhere, except here in the U.S. where it will be a non-standard frequency.

That frequency band is not available because it's occupied by U.S. government services. As a wireless medium, WiMAX also won't deliver fast speeds unless large amounts of spectrum are available. Dunne's company is helping providers deliver downloads at 1.5, 3 and 5 Mbps. That's comparable to DSL, but short of cable modems and fiber-optic networks, and won't support TV-like video quality.

Popular posts from this blog

Securing the Future of Cellular IoT Apps

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, they forecast a 90 percent growth in cellular IoT devices by 2028, with the global number reaching 6.5 billion. This exponential rise presents both exciting opportunities and significant challenges. While the growth of cellular IoT unlocks a vast potential for innovation in smart cities, industrial automation, and remote monitoring, it also requires device management and security advancements. Cellular IoT Market Development Juniper's research highlights the critical role of intelligent infrastructure management solutions. These platforms will empower the users to automate critical tasks such as device configuration, real-time security management, and optimized wireless connectivity. The surge in cellular data usage, projected to reach 46 petabytes by 2028 compared to 21 petabytes today, further underscores the need for automation. This is where federated learning i