WiMax (& Digiweb) to the rescue?

thejollyrodger

Ireland’s first WiMax grid to cover 50pc of country

10.09.2004 - Wireless broadband provider Digiweb has revealed that it is constructing Ireland’s first WiMax-ready network with plans to cover 50pc of the country by early 2005.
The news follows Digiweb’s acceptance into industry body, the WiMax Forum, which includes leading wireless service providers and equipment manufacturers such as Intel, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Airspan, Aperto, Motorola, Alvarion and Siemens.

WiMax, which is capable of sending data over a range of 30 miles with data transfer speeds of up to 70Mbps, is currently among the new technologies being evaluated by the Forward Looking Programme of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). The technology is being viewed as a potential solution to Ireland’s continuing broadband woes and as a mechanism for bypassing the country’s decaying PSTN network.

A joint global study by Bear, Stearns & Co International and The Management Consulting Group (TMNG) labeled Ireland, with high gross domestic product but low broadband penetration, as one of the markets with the most to gain for fixed and mobile network operators that deploy new wireless broadband standards such as WiMax and MobileFi to augment the rollout of DSL and 3G services.

“WiMax as an alternative technology will impact deployment strategies for 3G, DSL, cable modems as well as traditional backhaul solutions,” says Rich Nespola, CEO of TMNG. “Carriers must adjust strategies now and act quickly to influence the final standard. Technology providers must partner with licensed-spectrum carriers and plan a careful, measured introduction of products and services with maximum functionality.”

Earlier this year, Digiweb was awarded 16 licenses by ComReg in the 3.5GHz band to deploy broadband access around the country, more licenses awarded to any other single operator.

Hugh Logue, Digiweb’s wireless deployment manager, comments: “We’re building a WiMax-ready network across Ireland, which by early 2005 will service more than 50pc of the country. WiMax will enable us reach deeper into rural and under-served areas, while providing self-install options in towns and cities.”

With services already available in Dublin, Meath and Louth, Digiweb’s new services in Cork were turned live by Communications Minister Dermot Ahern TD last Monday. Servicing Cork City and surrounding areas, Digiweb plan to cover 85pc of Cork county by mid-November. Digiweb also plans to continue its rapid deployment of services throughout the country and is already progressing the network into the midlands and border regions, with most locations planned to be live and offering services by December.

By John Kennedy

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?uid=aindriu&sid=kvvewueF&storyid=single3784

Dangger

From John Kennedy at Silicon Republic (reg required)

Wireless broadband provider Digiweb has revealed that it is constructing Ireland’s first WiMax-ready network with plans to cover 50pc of the country by early 2005.

The news follows Digiweb’s acceptance into industry body, the WiMax Forum, which includes leading wireless service providers and equipment manufacturers such as Intel, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Airspan, Aperto, Motorola, Alvarion and Siemens.

WiMax, which is capable of sending data over a range of 30 miles with data transfer speeds of up to 70Mbps, is currently among the new technologies being evaluated by the Forward Looking Programme of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). The technology is being viewed as a potential solution to Ireland’s continuing broadband woes and as a mechanism for bypassing the country’s decaying PSTN network.

Hugh Logue, Digiweb’s wireless deployment manager, comments: “We’re building a WiMax-ready network across Ireland, which by early 2005 will service more than 50pc of the country. WiMax will enable us reach deeper into rural and under-served areas, while providing self-install options in towns and cities.”

Could WiMax really move this quickly in Ireland?

Good bye Eircom, you are the weakest link!

Ciaran500

I can only hope.

DonegalMan

From various snippets of gossip I picked up over the last couple of months, I think a lot of major developments in wireless are going to happen in the near future.

If this is the case then this could completely screw Eircom and hell rub it into them !

In the article from the Sunday Times I posted in an earlier thread, Oisin Fanning, the founder of Smart Telecom said

Eircom could end up as the manager of the copper wire

.
I think that he could be right and it could happen quicker than Eircom realise. The only quibble I have is that even that business is too much for them, the whole bloody lot should be taken from them!

Martin Harran (now a convinced wireless user )

Urban Weigl

I already have wireless. Once ComReg finally make number portability and VoIP numbers available like has already happened in the UK (you can switch to VoIP and keep your own phone number), I will finally be able to get rid of my landline.

Dangger

But ever since the confidential Operation Pittsburgh got out into the open, shortly after the flotation, the true extent of the degradation of their copper infrastructure has been revealed. So just being a manger of a copper network that's not up to much would be worthless.

They must by know be noticing the writing on the wall getting clearer and have obviously been aware of the inevitable* for some time. I can't see any thing saving them except serious infrastructural overhaul (which just ain't going to happen), and even then WiMax could seriously eat into their broadband market share. With Ofcom paving the way for VoIP by releasing numbering schemes all the signs are pointing towards bigger problems ahead for them.

*You hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound....of your death. - Agent Smith

damien

I forgot about Operation Pittsburgh. I will never do so again.

*Prints off the article and faxes it to everyone on his contact list*

DonegalMan

damien.m wrote:

I forgot about Operation Pittsburgh. I will never do so again.

So had I

Combined with the recent figures on line failure, it shows what a disastrous state the national infrastructure is in and getting worse.


Surely the Government has a duty to intervene in some way to protect the National Interest - or is this their real reason for putting the focus on alternative networks?

Moriarty

Remember that there's still some major problems with fixed wireless access in general. Each new install requires a guy to go out, check signal strength and add an antenna to your wall/chimney. Very expensive and very labour intensive. That's not going to change for at least another two years, so there will continue to be a large install fee.

For wireless to become a real option for most people, that install fee will have to come down quite significantly and the technology will have to progress to the stage where external antennas are no longer needed. IIRC that's pencilled in for mid 2007 for wimax, which is still quite a ways off.

Moriarty

Merging into this thread.

Dangger

But what I'm asking is if will see these improvements faster than we had anticipated. Dell and other manufacturers are testing the WiMax enabled Intel Rosedale chipset and we'll see WiMax enabled machines and gadgets all over the shope soon enough. Since far fewer base stations are also going to be required so could this equate to the improvements you are saying are required?

It's got to be closer than 2007 if Digiweb are aiming to have the network in place by 2005. I hear that by 2007 mobile handsets wil be all WiMax'ed up, I think we'll see desk top installations far sooner.

Moriarty

There's a number of revisions and upgrades planned for wimax. At the moment the first few batches of wimax chips are in testing with the likes of Dell. It's reckoned that chip production will then ramp up for a proper release early in 2005. That version of the standard (when we're talking about FWA) will require external antennas on any buildings that are going to be using it. The plan is to further miniaturise and refine wimax over the next few years, with the end result of having on-chip wimax devices that require no external antennas of any kind. That's where the likes of Dell want it to be, so they can integrate wimax into their laptops like the current centrino chipsets. The problem is that this wont be possible for two or three years.

jwt

For a more in depth view of WiMAX see here

The first generation of WiMAX Forum Certified CPEs will be outdoor-installable subscriber stations akin to a satellite dish. These are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2005 and priced above $350. The second generation of CPEs will be indoor-installable modems similar to a cable or DSL modem, will be priced under $200 and are expected to be available in the Q3 2005 timeframe. No truck roll will be required with indoor-installable modems.

In the 2007 timeframe, we expect that WiMAX will be incorporated into end-user devices like notebook computers and PDAs along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling the delivery of wireless broadband directly to the end user—at home, in the office and on the move. In the 2007 timeframe, we expect to see WiMAX integrated into 3G phones along with Wi-Fi, providing a simplified network connection for voice and data. The WiMAX Forum is working to drive a common platform for harmonization between standards that will enable users to remain connected wherever they go.

WiMAX has the potential to be the great equalizer in broadband access. In short, bridging the gap of the digital divide has never been more within our reach.

John

spongebob

50% of WHAT. I bet its 50% Population coverage as Digiweb hoover up Galway Cork Dublin Limerick and Waterford together with their initial franchise areas north of the Galway - Dublin line . They already got Cork this way and have launched depite being awarded the 3.5Ghz later than the others ...... this indicates competence beyond the normal Irish WISP standard in the project management department .

50% population coverage in Ireland requires about 15% Geographic coverage or 15 base station zones .

The 3G networks claim 50% coverage ALREADY on this basis. Those tossers in Comreg accept this spurious coverage claim . To completely cover Ireland with 3.5Ghz licences would require 100 licences . So far Digiweb have about 10 and need another 40 as I make it . I bet that wont happen somehow ...at least not wthout some government subvention. (70,000 KM2 / 100 = 700 . 15km Radius x 15km Radiius x 3.15 pi =c. 700 km2 )

The Press Release probably co-incides with some budget jockeying in the Dept of Comms and maybe with Dermots Aherns last significant announcement in that Dept before he buggers off to a higher plane...whatever that announcement may be I could not Possibly comment at this stage Digiweb have not become notorious for their press releases but strictly this was reportage <<cough>> rather than a press release so well spun Digiweb. SR have also plugged the Armagh-Monaghan Digital Corridor FWIW .

We'll see what actually happens but you may take it from Muck that

"Digiweb will not achieve 50% Geographic Coverage in Ireland by ANYTIME in 2005 unless they are substantially subvented from the National Exchequer to so do "

That means tenders ....which means keep an eye on tenders.ie and some local authority stuff thereabouts ! Digiweb could not have won any of these as they have not closed yet or even been announced :)

M

phreak

as a gamer the only question i have is: what will the latency be like?

Moriarty

It should (note: should) be grand. On the lower end it could be 1-5ms to the edge of the isps network compared to ~35ms for DSL, on the upper end it could be closer to 50-80ms. It depends entirely on how the isp set their network up. 'Wait and see', basically.