We've looked at several different vendors for WiMAX and have been running Alvarion in 2.5GHz for almost 18 months now. Aperto seems to have a decent RF platform, as does Redline and Alvarion. We had two main issues with Aperto: ugly Tranzeo CPE and their EMS. Maybe some things have changed by the EMS was required to configure each base station and MS as it entered the network, however ran only on windows and didn't run as a service. So one clown closing the window and your network was dead in the water. Redline appears to have a solid product as well as does Alvarion.
As was stated earlier the biggest reason to look at WiMAX is for differentiated services. If voice or a high quality data play is in your business plan it makes sense. If you are suffering from interference issues, and spectrum is becoming much more polluted everywhere, so 3650 does help in that regard. With access to 2.5GHz spectrum for us WiMAX was an option we considered purely for the penetration. The bulk of our subscriber base was only accessible using 900MHz access points, and we quickly outgrew the capacity of the Canopy APs we have been using and also are suffering increasingly from interference from a number of sources: RFID, baby monitors, a couple lingering paging companies, GPS correction for farming, saturation due to excessive numbers of Access POints to try to meet bandwidth demands, etc. We also didn't feel that we would be able to offer services other than basic broadband access across the Canopy platform. The 16e standard is valuable for us due to the penetration provided by MIMO and beamforming that are available within the standard. We could care less about the mobility (and added overhead) but its hard to get one without the other. If you've got clean spectrum and are only looking to deploy basic data access WiMAX probably doesn't make sense. If you have access to licensed spectrum, want to deploy differentiated services, or are looking at 3650 WiMAX may make sense. 16d will have less overhead and less cost: the complexities of the mobile platform are not there, nor do you need additional network components like an ASN-GW, and typically provisioning is greatly simplified. The problem you run into on the 16e side is that every vendor is only thinking about Clearwire and not considering the WISP and the price point a WISP is able to justify. Ben Wiechman Wisper High Speed Internet On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Pat O'Connor <p...@inlandnet.com> wrote: > Anybody use Airspan for Wimax? > > > > Michael Baird wrote: > > It was interesting, but I was hoping for some more first hand experience > > reporting. Essentially the only explanation for improved range was a > > lower noise floor, which isn't a wimax thing, but a 3.65 thing. I think > > a lot of the 802.16d/e talk is market speak, I'm trying to get through > > that and establish technical reasons why one or the other is superior. > > > > Regards > > Michael Baird > > > >> So the recent thread on Wimax was quite interesting. I need to read up > >> on the different technologies involved. I believe that a fixed > >> deployment is sufficient for many many many needs and markets (wireless > >> local loop if you will). If people want mobility/end user wireless they > >> can hang an 802.11 AP off the ethernet port of whatever CPE. Wimax > >> directly to the end device doesn't make much sense to me, in most > >> markets and use cases. Obviously if you are supporting a highly mobile > >> workforce (say public sector type stuff) then it makes a lot more sense. > >> > >> It got me thinking... if one was a new WISP entering an un(der)served > >> market, it seems that it would not make sense to deploy standard 802.11 > >> gear, but rather Wimax gear in 3650Mhz. Is this an accurate assessment? > >> > >> One particular area that I'm targeting, doesn't have any broadband > >> available (other then 3g from Verzion). So they would need to purchase > >> CPE anyway, and it wouldn't be anything they could get from Best Buy > >> (DSL or Cable modem). > >> > >> I'm in the process of negotiating access to the excluded areas (in > >> Southern California), but it's been slow going. Once I gain access it > >> will open up many areas to some sorely needed competition. > >> > >> So who are the vendors in this space worth considering? > >> What are peoples experiences with the sales process (both pre and post > >> sales engineering) > >> etc etc. > >> > >> > >> > >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! > >> http://signup.wispa.org/ > >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > >> > >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > >> > >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! 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