WORLDCOM TAKES LINE-OF-SIGHT OUT OF FIXED WIRELESS DEBATE

While all eyes were turned to WorldCom's financial misdeeds last week, the carrier's broadband access division is quietly rolling out its first commercial second-generation fixed broadband wireless network.

WorldCom is deploying IP Wireless' non-line-of-sight architecture in Memphis, Tenn., with the intention of launching its first commercial service in the third quarter of this year. The carrier is starting out small, limiting the deployment to the Germantown area of Memphis. WorldCom officials, however, stressed that the deployment is commercial. WorldCom will be actively marketing and selling the product to small business customers in the area, making it part of its overall broadband wireless footprint in 13 markets.

Germantown was selected because its geographical and zoning issues couldn't be overcome with first-generation line-of-sight products, said Joe Brooks, vice president of sale for WorldCom Broadband Solutions, in an interview at the Wireless Communications Association conference in Boston last week. The terrain presented numerous line-of-sight obstacles, and covenants on land use prevented WorldCom from mounting towers on buildings or using external antennas, Brooks said.

No deployment schedule exists to deploy second-generation gear in other markets, but Brooks said many areas in its MMDS footprint have similar first-generation deployment problems and are candidates for future rollouts. The carrier also is looking into the possibility of expanding the project's scope from business customers to residential, he said.

IP Wireless' Wideband CDMA Time Division Duplexing architecture requires no external mounting of customer premise equipment, and therefore no truck roll. Customers can take the handheld modem anywhere inside or out, as long as they stay within the network cell, making the technology well suited for residential deployment.

“WorldCom has always been focused on business customers, and we'll continue to be, but if we have the opportunity overlay a consumer network over our enterprise network, why not do it?” Brooks said.

The deal is a big win for IP Wireless, which like many second-generation vendors has been deploying with rural ISPs in the U.S. WorldCom is the first Tier 1 North American carrier to use its technology commercially. Aside from gaining much-needed market credibility, the large-scale deployment will give the company an idea of how customers use its systems, said Chris Gilbert, CEO of IP Wireless.

“This is a serious amount of users with the service in their hands,” Gilbert said. “I want to see how they use the technology every day. While this a business deployment, I'm curious to see how many of those modems find their way from the office back to the employees' homes.”

While the launch certainly is good news for both IP Wireless, having WorldCom as its primary backer lessens its impact on the broadband wireless industry. What would have been a boost for the industry is now clouded with questions about WorldCom's viability, said Peter Jarich, an independent broadband wireless analyst.

“Maybe fixed wireless is cursed,” Jarich said. “Sure, it's a big step forward for WorldCom, but are they going to roll this out in the next week before the company collapses?”