AT&T and WiMAX

The latest little nugget of speculation circling the industry is that AT&T is about to launch WiMAX services in the near future, something I admit would be a distinct possibility, though the story would be a lot less exciting than it sounds. The fact is, AT&T—and BellSouth before it—has had WiMAX and pre-WiMAX and proprietary networks running all over the U.S. already, serving markets as large as Atlanta and as small as Pahrump, Nev.

AT&T is running Alvarion fixed WiMAX gear for broadband access in Alaska and has trialed pre-certified equipment in Atlanta over experimental frequencies on loan from the FCC. Before being bought by AT&T, BellSouth had broadband wireless networks running in six markets in the southeast using proprietary equipment and launched a University campus coverage pilot at the University of Georgia in Athens using Navini gear.

In fact, you can argue AT&T was the first company in the U.S. to launch the closest thing resembling a Mobile WiMAX network in Pahrump, Nev. Sure, the Soma equipment is being used for fixed access, and yes, it’s all pre-certified gear, but technically, all the supposed WiMAX gear we’re constantly writing about is pre-certified. Clearwire’s trial of Moto gear in Portland, Ore., and Sprint’s three trials in Chicago, Washington and Dallas are all using kits that have yet to see the WiMAX Forum stamp of approval. The point I’m trying to make is that AT&T has a network built on IEEE 802.16e standards running live with paying customers. And it’s been operating for more than a year.

So if AT&T does launch WiMAX next year, it will likely look very much like the dozens of fixed access wireless networks it has scattered across the country. The big difference is there will be a specific vendor and specific deployment schedule. I wouldn’t expect the major impact of a Sprint though. AT&T is looking for in-fill technologies to bring broadband to rural and hard-to-reach areas as well as spot solutions for things like college campuses, particularly in the southeast where it still has BellSouth’s 2.3 GHz licenses. What isn’t looking for is a new game-changing technology—it already has its hands full with UMTS, Wi-Fi and fiber—and it doesn’t have the spectrum to roll it out even if it wanted to.

Contact me at kfitchard@telephonyonline.com.