Boulder Valley School District Educational Facilities Master Plan

Boulder Valley School DistrictEducational Facilities Master Plan4. Advantages:• Could sell excess capacity• Vendor maintains the network through Service Level Agreements5. Disadvantages:• Highest cost• Takes a long time to implement• Not able to take advantage of E-Rate discount• Requires skilled resources within the District that are not available• High risk to the District for successAlternative 2: Installation of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave AccessAlternative for installation of fiber optic cable is the use of Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) also known as Wireless Broadband.1. Description:• WiMAX is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard delivering WAN access withspeeds up to 40Mbps over the air. “WiMAX is a standards-based technologyenabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative tocable and DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed, nomadic, portable, and, eventually,mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight toa base station. In a typical cell radius deployment of three to 10 kilometers,WiMAX Forum Certified systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications. This is enoughbandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speedconnectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity.”2. Costs:• Determining design, engineering, and cost estimates for the installation of aWiMax network were beyond the scope of this document but are generallyconsidered to be less than those of the WAN high-speed network recommendedabove.3. Benefits:• Can be a resource for the entire community4. Advantage:• Faster implementation period• No cable to install in the ground to create the WAN5. Disadvantages:• Still an emerging technology• Standard has not been completed so equipment to support is very limitedCapital Improvement Planning Committee May 2006 Page 96