Subject: [NEXTEL-1] BellSouth Trial Fuels Broadband Excitement

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 15:18:06 -0500

BellSouth Trial Fuels Broadband Excitement

A trial by another large incumbent carrier is sparking some positive momentum
for the downtrodden wireless broadband industry. BellSouth today announced that
it is testing Navini Networks technology in Daytona, Fla., using the 2.3 GHz
wireless communications services band. The carrier, which began testing the
technology this month, says the trial includes multiple base stations, covers
approximately 150 square miles, and includes about 100 participants. The test is
expected to conclude in March.

BellSouth says it is testing the technology to determine whether it can be used to
extend the company's DSL footprint in its nine-state coverage area. According to
Bill Smith, the company's chief product development and technology officer,
BellSouth is looking for a cost effective way to deliver broadband data service to
customers where traditional DSL systems are not cost effective to deploy, such as
in remote or rural areas of the company's territory.

But BellSouth isn't the first ILEC to test broadband wireless gear using the WCS
band. Last July, Verizon Communications initiated a similar trial in Fairfax County,
Va., using BeamReach Networks' adaptive multibeam orthogonal frequency
division multiplexing technology. The company outfitted two base stations in
cellular tower sites in Herndon and Centerville, Va., with antennas and provided
end-users with receivers. The test initially involved about 50 Verizon employees
but was expanded to include customers.

The BellSouth trial will surely be a big topic of discussion at this week's Wireless
Communications Association Technical Symposium in San Jose, Calif., where
many fixed wireless providers and vendors have gathered. The conference begins
today and here's a sample of some of the news from the show:

* Alvarion Ltd. introduced its BreezeACCESS high-capacity OFDM solution for the 5
GHz band. The product is targeted at small- to medium-size enterprises and the
multi-tenant market.

* Gold Mind Telecom of China has selected Aperto Networks 5.8 GHz PacketWave
system for deployment in Shanxi Province. The company will use the technology
to provide access and deliver content to schools, the area's mining and energy
production industry, and government offices in the city of Shahe. In addition,
Aperto also debuted a new carrier class point-to-point product, the PacketWave
600 Series Wireless Bridge, to deliver an IP Ethernet bridge connection between
locations up to 30 miles apart.

* Jordan Mobile Telephone Services announced it will replace its existing
microwave infrastructure with Stratex Networks Altium MX 311 terminals.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=newsat2direct&starting=1&pubdate=01/13/03

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