Canada broadens its wireless horizons

In telecom, a lot can change in a matter of months, let alone a year. At the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association's Emerge@Wireless show in Toronto last week, broadband wireless players participated in panel discussions after playing a smaller role last year.

It has been less than a year since some of Canada's broadband wireless players won spectrum in the 24/38 GHz band during the country's spectrum auction last fall. In that time, each has devised a plan to bridge the gap between fiber and copper throughout the country.

Similar to some of the carriers in the U.S.'s broadband space, Canadian players intend to first target big cities because many buildings still are not connected via fiber. Some also hope to use the technology to further their reach into untapped regions of the country.

"We see [broadband wireless technology] as an important addition to our network buildout capabilities and a way we can reach locations untouched [by the Internet] today," said Steve Spooner, president and CEO of Stream Intelligent Networks. Stream, which won 92 wireless licenses in the country's 59 service areas during the 24/38 GHz spectrum auction, will supply point-to-point, high-speed, digital communication services to carriers, network service providers and other large bandwidth users.

During CWTA's show, Stream announced the first commercial implementation of its high-speed bandwidth solution with Canadian ISP Wiznet, which it had been in trials with since April. During the next year, Stream will help the ISP reach about 300 multi-tenant office buildings.

Stream maintains it has a competitive edge over incumbents because it offers lower costs and added flexibility. Its broadband solution, with speeds up to 155 Mb/s, consists of a radio from Triton Network Systems and an antenna from Giganet.

While Stream hopes to be seen as a national service provider, it currently considers itself as a niche player.

"We have found our niche as a carrier's carrier, said Bob MacCallum, vice president and chief technology officer with Stream. "We have a solution for offering last-mile service with point-to-point broadband wireless, which can fill in the gaps [throughout carriers' networks] fast. It is a viable technology to reach a high bandwidth."

Stream will consider offering a point-to-multipoint solution when the technology matures a bit more, Spooner said.

Like its U.S. counterparts, Stream will target the business market, but Spooner has not discounted a future residential play; he anticipates that point-to-point technology will reach homes by the end of the decade.

"We will bring bandwidth and prosperity across the country, and we are confident that the Canadian economy will be the beneficiary," Spooner said. "As bandwidth demand grows, we will upgrade customers to fiber, but we will go with wireless to get the services out there."

Wireless carriers recognize the need for sufficient spectrum in the wake of the 3G evolution. While they wait to find out which companies can bid for spectrum during this fall's auction, some maintain there are more pressing issues (Telephony, May 29, page 50).

"[We are] implementing the stuff we can offer today quickly, as much as we can handle it," said Brian O'Shaughnessy, chief technology officer of Bell Mobility. "We will drive use on what we have today and then evolve as quickly as we can to meet the demand."

The carrier will roll out applications and continue obtaining spectrum to handle future demand, he said.

Inukshuk Internet and its partners also won spectrum in 1999 but in the 2.5/2.96 GHz band. With licenses covering 12 service areas, the company plans to cover about 50% of the households in Canada by the end of next year. Unique content will get consumers interested in broadband, said Paul Lamontagne, senior vice president of corporate regulatory affairs with Inukshuk. "Entertainment content is what will drive broadband," he said.

Wispra, which was founded by Nextlink, owns 24 GHz licenses covering half of Canada. It will roll out service by the end of the year to the major Canadian cities, with the rest rolled out by the end of next year. Confident of its broadband wireless plans, Wispra foresees connecting its network in Canada to the Nextlink network in the U.S., said Joe Church, president and CEO of the company.

"We intend to own and operate our own fiber optic network and will connect to the U.S. and beyond," he said.