Sprint sets 2G wireless trials for Houston, Montreal, San Jose

Sprint will begin trials of second-generation fixed broadband wireless technology next week in Houston, followed by similar tests in Montreal in March and San Jose, Calif. The trials, with unnamed vendors, and, in the case of Montreal, an unnamed service provider, will test Sprint’s theories about multichannel multipoint distribution service [MMDS] wireless as a way to deliver residential and some commercial high-speed data services.

2G technology is needed because “the reality is there is no sustainable business model for broadband fixed wireless” using first generation gear, said Khurram Sheikh, Sprint Broadband Wireless’ chief technology advisor, speaking at this week’s Broadband Wireless World Forum in Anaheim, Calif.

The trials should begin to answer questions around self-installation; product portability; the ability to use the spectrum for PCS/3G cellular backhaul; and the use of fixed broadband spectrum to complement existing mobile services, Sheikh said.

Of the four, he said, portability stands out as the best way to build a successful fixed wireless case because it is a “true differentiator for wireless systems. The long-term vision for the network is not based upon fixed access.”

Each trial, he said, “is not a technology experiment, it’s a validation of the business case,” said Sheikh.

Of the three trials, the most complex, and therefore the last to get off the ground, will be in San Jose, where Sprint will be testing Multiple In Multiple Out [MIMO] antennas and a cellular/PCS backhaul model.

While he declined to offer any specifics about the trials, other than what he offered in his presentation, Sheikh reiterated Sprint’s support for the wireless business, noting that properly installed, with correct CPE costs and portability, it can be “much sweeter than DSL. But,” he added, “we’re not there yet.”