WiMax Operator's Manual
WiMax Operator's Manual
WiMax Operator's Manual
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50 CHAPTER 3 ■ STRATEGIC PLANNING OF SPECTRUM AND SERVICES<br />
used to convey information and, in the case where subcarriers are employed, decreasing<br />
the spacing between them. All of this will lead to higher throughput and, combined with the<br />
aforementioned technologies of adaptive antennas and software-defined radio, may eventually<br />
allow the achievement of fiberlike speeds within the lower microwave region. Fiber<br />
itself will not stand still, however, though it remains to be seen what applications will emerge<br />
that will require throughputs in the tens of gigabits per individual users.<br />
In any case, the midterm future of wireless broadband promises to be an era of very abundant<br />
throughputs and greatly expanded service opportunities for the operators. Five-year<br />
market projections should consider the likelihood of fundamental improvements in the core<br />
technology and should not rest upon the assumption that the business will remain much as it<br />
is today. The operator should take it almost as a given that generations of equipment will be<br />
short and that capital improvement will have to be undertaken on an ongoing basis in order<br />
to remain competitive. For the foreseeable future, the low microwave wireless broadband<br />
network is not going to be a set-it-up-and-forget-it cash cow.<br />
In the current regime characterized by throughput rates that are generally competitive<br />
with those of cable and DSL, and by network capacities that are generally much lower, network<br />
operators must proceed cautiously, however, recognizing that they lack the resources to be all<br />
things to all customers. Their aim must be to utilize the capacity of the network as efficiently as<br />
possible and target those customers who will bring them the best return on the infrastructure<br />
investment.<br />
This aim cannot be achieved in most markets simply by presenting subscribers with a<br />
“pipe,” or raw capacity. Raw capacity to support broadband access is becoming increasingly<br />
available and increasingly commoditized, and the mere fact that a wireless carrier is offering<br />
capacity is scant inducement for the customer to subscribe. Wireless broadband represents an<br />
opportunity for competitive access provider, perhaps the only opportunity to enter many<br />
markets, but is not inherently highly attractive to end users simply by virtue of being wireless.<br />
If the wireless operator is competing with well-entrenched wireline incumbents who are<br />
prepared to wage price wars, and if that same wireless operator is offering nothing more than<br />
basic services, his prospects of succeeding are poor because the service offering is just another<br />
broadband choice and one that is in certain respects technically disadvantaged vis-à-vis<br />
the others.<br />
Chapter 2 mentioned the major value-added services that can be supported over wireless<br />
networks. The following sections attempt to be more specific with respect to the lower microwave<br />
region.<br />
Looking at the Range of Services<br />
No value-added broadband service exists that cannot be supported by a lower microwave<br />
broadband wireless network, but because some services are heavily bandwidth intensive<br />
and some are not, the operator must decide on the mix of services to be made available to<br />
subscribers and the marketing emphasis that should be brought to each.<br />
Basic Access<br />
Currently, basic Internet access will constitute the core service offering just as is the case<br />
with DSL and cable. The operator may want to serve as the Internet service provider (ISP) or<br />
may want to establish a relationship with one or more third-party providers. For an independent,<br />
competing with a giant such as America Online or EarthLink in terms of content and