W
ithin the next few
years, users will
view simple cell
phones without
PDA features as primitive voice
devices found alongside rotary
phones in technology museums.
A new breed of feature-rich, highly
integrated smart mobile devices
will take their place and these
devices will combine multiple-
band, 3G wireless and broadband
Wi-Fi-enabled communication
with anytime, anywhere informa-
tion access, all revolving around
presence-awareness.
Presence-awareness is similar
to instant messaging's buddy lists
that show who among someone's
circle of online friends and associ-
ates is connected at any given
time. With it, users can register
their availability and communi-
cation preferences with the net-
work. In turn, the network can
provide an aggregate view of all
registered users' availabilities and
communication preferences such
as wired phone, wireless, e-mail
or instant messaging.
Mobilizing this capability has
powerful implications for quantum
gains in productivity across most
every industry and profession,
especially in those areas requiring
complex project management and
time-sensitive responses.
Fundamental to this new mobil-
ity and collaborative paradigm are
the 802.11 standards for Wi-Fi. In
2003, the IEEE released the 802.11g
standard with data rates of up to 54
Mbps. The migration to 802.11g is
important because speed matters.
The slower 11 Mbps data through-
put of the popular 802.11b can
slow even further to just a few
megabits per second in poor cover-
age areas. Although e-mail, fast
Internet access and VoIP conversa-
tions can operate at these speeds,
video applications and sharing
large files will benefit from the
faster speed of 802.11g.
Although Wi-Fi was conceived
as a way to set up Ethernet LANs
without the cost and trouble of
hardwiring, the concept rapidly
expanded beyond corporate
offices into private WLANs for
the home and public WLANs or
hot spots. These public WLANs
are appearing in hotels, airports,
cafes, public parks and even air-
T
o many industry insiders, the prom-
ise of broadband wireless access
(BWA) is clear. The goal is delivery of
last mile, enterprise infrastructure and
MAN traffic at lower cost than incumbent
technologies—ADSL, cable modem,
T1/E1, etc. The reality can be best charac-
terized as hit or miss. The current-genera-
tion technology is sufficient to meet the
business needs of datacom customers in
some niche markets. For example, BWA
growth in domestic rural and some lesser-
developed countries has been strong. But
this growth has not been seen in the
majority of urban and suburban centers
due to the strong presence of competing
technologies. In other words, BWA has
grabbed hold only in markets where other
technologies are absent. What has rele-
gated BWA to remain a niche technology?
Two reasons: non-line-of-sight (NLOS)
coverage and cost.
Both issues boil down to technology.
Advancing beyond traditional line-of-sight
(LOS) deployment means developing tech-
nologies that can handle the added impair-
ments of NLOS operation. Doing this
inexpensively requires smart architecture
choices and high levels of integration to
drive hardware costs down. Delivering both
in a single, reliable radio is today’s challenge.
NLOS Impairments
Operating in an NLOS environment
subjects a radio to a number of severe
impairments that must be managed
The Nextel / FCC
Spectrum Reallocation:
What Does It Mean for You?
By Alan Tilles, Esquire, Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A.
The FCC recently voted to adopt a Re-Banding Plan
for the 800 MHz band. The following is a summary of
the Order:
1
800 MHz public safety licensees in the NPSPAC
band (866-869 MHz) will move to the bottom of
the old General Category channels (851-854 MHz).
2
Incumbents in the 851.0125-854.7625 MHz bands
move to the 854.0125-861.9875 MHz spectrum.
3
No licensee operating from 854.7825 to 860.9875
MHz is required to move. However, existing pub-
lic safety licensees operating from 859.0125 to
859.9875 MHz can move to lower channels.
4
No public safety or critical infrastructure licensee
will be required to move into 861.0125-861.9875
MHz bands.
5
Nextel will give up its 800 MHz spectrum
from 851.0125 to 861.9875 MHz. (Not the
change from the original proposal, in that
Nextel will now also be giving up its 861.0125-
861.9875 MHz spectrum.) Nextel will also
give up its 700 MHz licenses, but will KEEP its
900 MHz licenses.
Market Focus
■ Discover ways to
overcome Passive
Intermodulation (PIM).
See page 2
■ Find out how to use
communications systems
analyzers for remote
system monitoring.
See page 3
Network Infrastructure
■ Use Motorola Canopy’s
wireless ISP marketing kit
to expand your customer
base and market reach.
See page 5
■ Extend the 5.8 GHz range
and receive more data per
sector than ever before
with Solectek SkyWay 5000
base station antennas.
See page 8
Mobile Devices &
Accessories
■ Ritron’s Liberty™ Extender
Repeater System virtually
eliminates shadowing,
fading, and dead spots for
two-way radio applications.
See page 16
■ Stico’s interoperable
antenna system enables
first responders from
different agencies to
communicate seamlessly
during critical incidents.
See page 17
Install, Test &
Maintenance
■ Remove those fine
scratches and abrasions
from cell phones and
PDAs. Novus Fine Scratch
Remover has a multitude
of uses.
See page 25
Business Briefs
■ Disaster strikes when you
least expect it. TESSCO
can help with disaster
preparedness.
See page 27
Get the tools and training
necessary to sell, install,
and support wireless net-
working solutions with
TESSCO’s VAR Alliance
Program.
See page 27
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TESSCO
TECHNOLOGIES
THE WIRELESS JOURNAL
®
TESSCO News and Product Review for Wireless Communications Professionals
VOLUME 7 / NO. 4 OCT / NOV / DEC 2000
THE WIRELESS JOURNAL
®
TESSCO News and Product Review for Wireless Communications Professionals
VOLUME 11 / NO. 4 OCT/NOV/DEC 2004
At a Glance
Please reference code
when ordering from this issue!
03648
11126 McCormick Road
Hunt Valley, Maryland
USA 21031-1494
(continued on page 2)
(continued on page 3) (continued on page 2)
Wi-Fi x 5: How 802.11g Changes the Mobility Picture
By William J. Beyda, vice president of product development, Siemens Information and Communication Networks
Defeating NLOS and
Cost to Win Last Mile
Business By Eric Lee, president and CEO, Solectek
Defeating NLOS and
Cost to Win Last Mile
Business
