WiMAX: What NOW?
The Independent Operator's Dilemma

Objective:
To thoroughly examine and discuss the realities and the usability of WiMAX as a license-exempt last-mile BWA technology for Independent Operators...

Overview:
According to Jupiter Research , as of Q3 2004, there were an estimated 81.1 million residential Internet subscribers in the United Sates. The breakdown is as follows:

Cable Companies: 19%
Telephone Companies: 12%
Independent Operators: 69%

Independent operators currently utilize the Cable or Telephone Infrastructure to access the majority of their customers, consisting mostly of dial-up Internet users, in the United States.

With the increasing demand for broadband, a key business and technological issue facing independent operators today revolves around providing competitively priced broadband access services.

Now, WiMAX™ is being presented as “the great wireless hope” for independent operators trying to solve the last-mile broadband access problem. WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. In a typical cell radius deployment of up to 6 miles (with a maximum range as far as 30 miles), WiMAX systems are expected to deliver up to 40 Mbps (maximum of 70 Mbps) per channel, enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity with competitive pricing.

"Hope or Hype?" - I dunno, but as we dig deeper into this standard, several inconsistencies start popping up; a focus on 3.5 GHz? Will OFDM NLoS really work around trees?  Are we just stepping stones for AT&T or AOL?  Let's find out from panel of WiMAX forum members what WiMAX REALLY means for the Small Independent Operator.

Session Panelists:

• Chuck Eapen - Trango Broadband Wireless
• Juan Santiago - Motorola Canopy Wireless Broadband
• Pat Buthman - RedLine Communications