Wireless finds a voice at Supercomm

The voice of wireless could hardly be heard over the din at Supercomm, and those wireless players that did display their wares were mostly big companies showcasing a wide variety of products.

The voice of broadband fixed wireless, however, could be heard loud and clear. Vendors hawked their point-to-point solutions and showed developments of their point-to-multipoint systems.

"It's a safe prediction that not everyone is going to survive," said Allyson Sharp, director of marketing and business development for wireless networks systems at Alcatel. The number of companies getting into the broadband wireless products business is proliferating, but she believes that only those with a range of experience and products, like Alcatel, will survive. "It will take a company that has systems integration experience," she said.

Sharp believes that the new local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) license winners will focus initially on data to establish themselves as viable, reliable service providers. Then they may start to offer a whole suite of services and steal business from incumbents.

Alcatel plans to test its point-to-multipoint product this summer or fall and expects that most companies will roll out products in 1999.

Broadband shoulders Another company with broadband experience, Hughes Network Systems, will begin field trials of its AirReach broadband point-to-multipoint product in the third or fourth quarter, said Suresh Arora, vice president at Hughes.

Hughes will address the economic situations of the companies-many of them new entrants-that will operate the systems. "We will minimize or take the risk away with our product," Arora said.

AirReach broadband is switch-independent and can accept time division multiplexed (TDM), asynchronous transfer mode or Internet protocol (IP) traffic. In addition, it incorporates a software radio so operators can switch modulation on the fly.

Stanford Telecom introduced a line of headend and gateway products for wireless broadband access for ATM networks. Using a combination of frequency division multiplexed, TDM, time division multiple access and ATM transport, the system will operate in the 900 MHz to 42 GHz frequencies.

Another significant announcement came from two heavyweights, Bosch Telecom and Cisco Systems, which teamed up in hopes of being first out of the gate with point-to-multipoint solutions, said Tom McCabe, vice president of product management and strategic planning for Bosch. The companies have focused on the business plan aspect of LMDS systems and believe they can help operators understand how to market services-namely by focusing first on small office/home offices and later possibly on residential markets. The products they will develop will address a full range of customer needs, including different data speed requirements and varying degrees of end user resource sharing.

Rather than striving to be one of the first to market with a product, as Bosch and Cisco hope to be, some companies are adopting a wait-and-see attitude-waiting for lower cost components and more marketplace developments.

Harris Corp., for example, intends to produce point-to-multipoint systems in about a year. "It's a bit of the chicken and the egg," said Mort Cohen, market development manager for Harris' Farinon Division. Although Harris deems equipment costs too high to start developing products now, customers want to start testing solutions soon. Equipment costs may not decrease, however, until greater quantities are made and shipped.

Harris demonstrated its Aurora 2400 spread spectrum radio interfaced with Entrata Communications' MSA 100 access device. The company displayed simultaneous wireless digital video and Internet at 1.5 Mb/s.

Spike Technologies intends to develop products to serve LMDS license winners in the U.S. but will also wait until that market develops, said Ed Champy, executive vice president of Spike. Spike showcased its fixed broadband wireless solution at the show. Focusing on efficiency through frequency reuse, its antennas operate in the 1 to 14 GHz range.

Spike has advantages over competitors because its products were developed for broadband applications from the start, Champy said. Many of Spike's competitors modify wireless products that were designed for narrowband voice to accommodate broadband applications, he said.

Spike has installed a local loop multichannel multipoint distribution service system in New Hampshire, where commercial customers use the service for data, and may add voice services soon. A Spike system also serves users in Venezuela.

Giganet, a sister company of RAD Data Communications, also showcased its broadband point-to-point wireless system, the high-capacity FibeAir 1500. The product has a specific niche, said Shraga Katz, CEO of Giganet. Operating in the 18, 23, 26 and 38 GHz frequencies and designed for microwave ATM, FibeAir 1500 offers 155 Mb/s.

Customers can use the high capacity for applications such as LMDS backhaul, access to a Sonet ring or connection to ATM switches. Customers, including large corporations, could use the system for heavy data needs. Katz expects the product to ship in three months.

ADC Telecommunications announced that it has added a broadband wireless platform to its portfolio of access products. The CellSpan is designed for use in the LMDS spectrum and other frequencies ranging from 2 to 40 GHz.

"With the amount of bandwidth available at these frequencies, carriers can engineer networks that rival fiber in speed and reliability," said Ken Schultz, vice president of ADC's broadband wireless access group.

The CellSpan system extends ADC's high-speed transport platforms for carriers seeking alternatives to wired strategies in the last mile. ADC also offers a range of wireline access solutions.

"With all of these options, carriers can choose the best way to unlock the potential of the local loop," said Bill Cadogan, chairman and CEO of ADC. "Broadband is the way, and wireless is a key way of delivering it."

Several other companies displayed broadband wireless products. Cylink Wireless Communications, a P-Com company division, announced that it has expanded its AirPro family of digital microwave radios to include 19.2, 64, 128 and 256 kb/s speeds. The new radios will include network management tools that let network operators remotely adjust RF power and turn service on or off, said Dan Hilberman, director of systems applications marketing. The tools include software monitoring to detect and correct performance degradations quickly (Figure 1).

Cylink's radios are unique because of their hubbing capabilities, Hilberman said. Other companies may require units to be spaced a standard 50 feet apart to guard against interference, but Cylink employs what Hilberman calls the "foghorn effect." Multiple units at a Cylink site are synchronized to broadcast at the same time and stay quiet at the same time, eliminating interference concerns.

Wireless Inc. will offer more data access products since it announced a merger with Multipoint Networks Inc. While Wireless has traditionally offered wireless voice products, Multipoint Networks has concentrated on voice. The merged company, called Wireless Inc., will offer point-to-point and point-to-multipoint solutions for data applications, including a wireless TCP/IP router, X.25 protocol radio, 16QAM narrowband data radios and a product family of multiple T-1/E-1 based digital microwave radios.

Look to the sky Offering a different type of broadband delivery system, Comsat featured its Linkway 2000 product. Coupled with Comsat's managed network services, the product offers broadband on demand communications via satellite and can integrate ATM, ISDN, frame relay and SS7.

The product is ideal for multinational companies, said John Kopinski, director of advanced services development and advanced applications management for Comsat.

"They can extend their LANs overseas," he said. The system architecture is full mesh, so no hub is used and each Linkway 2000 can talk directly to others.

The product offers 2 Mb/s access and can stack up to 16 systems for a total of 32 Mb/s at any site. It uses proprietary technology but could link to any satellite system. Or, Comsat offers network management by connecting to the Intelsat constellation.

The solution is economical and unique because it offers metered service, unlike most satellite-based systems, Kopinski said.

In other satellite news, Iridium LLC followed its announcement of a complete constellation with news that it has signed 210 distribution agreements with regional wireless service providers and roaming partners around the world, including AT&T Wireless and BellSouth Mobility.

Iridium said it has completed operational readiness trials to prepare for its Sept. 23 worldwide launch. The company will launch a $140 million marketing and advertising campaign this month, said Craig Bond, vice president of market development for Iridium LLC. The branding and positioning campaign is designed to build name recognition and understanding among the vertical and professional business travelers that make up Iridium's target market, Bond said. It will include outlets such as business class seating on airlines, print and some broadcast.

Narrowband wireless speaks up Some companies did showcase products for the narrowband voice market. With growing competition and an increasing demand for high-quality voice and enhanced services, vendors are developing increasingly sophisticated features and tools for enhancing quality.

Comverse Network Systems demonstrated a number of products, including mobile visual voice mail. This flavor of voice mail lets users view voice, fax and e-mail messages on a screen-based wireless phone, offering a message inventory on screen before connecting to voice mail.

For example, users can view the number or name of a caller who left a voice mail and opt to save it or listen to it immediately, bypassing password entry and voice mail greetings. The system uses cellular digital packet data, and Unwired Planet's browser to deliver the data but could be adapted for other data services, said Jeff Schlueter, director of marketing for the Americas division at Comverse. The mobile visual voice mail increases minutes of use.

Comverse also showcased Internet-based personal provisioning, which lets end users alter the parameters of their service via the Internet. For example, a mobile phone user could turn off a phone's paging capability, set fax forwarding information or increase the number of messages a voice mail box can accommodate.

"It offloads customer care volume," Schlueter said.

Other show announcements included one from Motorola Computer Group and ADC NewNet, which together plan to increase network service uptime for short message services by using Motorola's FX Series fault-tolerant system platforms and ADC NewNet's Smserver Short Message Service Center solution. Vendors are integrating the solution, which is positioned for embedded applications, into their switches.

"SMS is being used for more mission-critical applications," said Noel Lesniak, product line manager of telecommunications and fault tolerant systems for Motorola. These users require reliable service without downtime, and the fault-tolerant solution is designed to eliminate downtime. As a result, carriers may reduce churn, retaining satisfied customers with higher-quality services, Lesniak said.

Tellabs believes its echo cancellation products will increase the quality of wireless networks, helping carriers differentiate their services. Tellabs noted a growing need for echo cancellers in the wireless world. Echo can occur during the conversion from a two-wire landline system to a four-wire digital wireless system, explained Jerry Greenen, group product manager of network access systems for Tellabs. As digital wireless networks proliferate, the need for echo cancellers grows (Figure 2).

Some echo is caused by the handset. Today's sophisticated handsets incorporate vocodors that require more power and often sap that power from echo controls.

Higher-quality handsets produce less echo, Greenen said. Code division multiple access handsets have required little echo cancellation help so far. But with a greater number of types of CDMA phones entering the market, those lower-quality handsets may produce echo and require echo cancellers.

In other news... In other wireless realms, MapInfo demonstrated its deciBel Planner, a Windows-based radio frequency propagation and modeling solution.

"It's now an application as opposed to a tool," said Tom Holec, telecom market manager for MapInfo. Northwoods Geoscience, a strategic partner of MapInfo, embedded the application into MapInfo's tools.

DeciBel Planner enables a company's multiple arms to access data so engineering can use the information to plan the network, marketing can use the data to target customers, and customer care representatives can use the data to identify weak spots. Because the solution is Windows-based instead of Unix-based, engineers also can use it in the field with a laptop.

Several companies showcased enhanced services platforms. Tandem Computers announced that it expanded its service control points to include the N Series intelligent network server, an intelligent network platform based on Windows NT. The server is ideal for serving a small subscriber base, a small community of interest or for testing services, said David Carnevele, director industry marketing for Tandem. "It gives our customers the ability to come in with a multiservices platform and futureproof their networks," said Chris Ebling, director of the IN platforms business unit for Tandem.

InterVoice showcased an enhanced services platform, its off-the-shelf IN Control ESP. The company also announced that it will offer voice over IP, demonstrating the capability at the show.

Vicorp featured some of its enhanced features, including Lydian prepaid wireless and QuickScript, a tool that allows customers to modify applications.

In the wireless data world, Sybase and Dynamic Mobile Data announced that they will partner to deliver wireless database synchronization.

"The partnership will allow the delivery of software that will enable corporate information to be delivered into the hands closest to customers via wireless," said Brian Vink, director of marketing for Sybase's wireless database division.

Applications will enable end users to access data immediately, without waiting to connect or download. Data will reside locally in the end user device, which will synchronize with a remote database regularly or on demand.

Field workers who rely on laptops say that smaller devices would be ideal, which is something Sybase and Dynamic Mobile Data workers are keeping in mind, Vink said. Field workers are also demanding more reliable solutions. Because the applications Sybase envisions do not require users to wait while a device connects with a network, users can access data in a more timely manner, Vink said. Dynamic Mobile Data will interface with different types of wireless data networks.