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authored by Steve Van
Tol, Sales Manager
Today’s
WISP, Integrator, and operator can all fall victim to interference
issues within their wireless network. What are your options? How can
you offer a complete solution that is not only secure but will
alleviate concerns regarding interference and degradation of through
put? The right product for the job depends on the application, as well
as understanding the differences between LAN and WAN wireless
technologies. The phrase, "you get what you pay for,"
applies when comparing licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Any fair
comparison cannot just be limited to the associated costs of each.
The Allure of Unlicensed Spectrum
The
key attraction of unlicensed spectrum is that it’s free. While that
seems like a big advantage, the cost of licensed spectrum per
subscriber in some markets is trivial. One attraction of the
unlicensed bands is that Wi-Fi gear is less expensive. Using Wi-Fi as
the unlicensed benchmark, some have argued that unlicensed bands
benefit from low-cost, mass-production equipment. However,
similar-scale economies can also be achieved with licensed
technologies — with "free" cell phones being the obvious
example. As licensed broadband wireless goes mainstream, the
associated high-volume gear will also become less expensive. The
Downsides of the Unlicensed Spectrum would be that they have low
transmit power limits, and are subject to uncontrolled
interference. Low power and interference issues make the unlicensed
bands sometimes less suitable for mass-scale consumer and small
business WAN (wide area network) access applications. For example, in
the commonly used 2.4 GHz band, a service provider may experience
interference from anything from other unlicensed service providers,
802.11b WLANs, 2.4 GHz cordless phones, microwave ovens, among other
sources.
The Role for Licensed Spectrum
Licensed bandwidth is best
for applications such as converged voice and data services as well as
broadband connectivity when WISP’s are ready to extend their network
from tower to tower. In applications where maximum and reliable
throughput is vital an operator has to know that their network is not
only secure and can operate at a high throughput, but will not go down
due to interference. We have seen some of the larger WISP’s replace
their unlicensed backhaul units with licensed because of the amount of
interference. For those resellers who work with government,
educational, or banking the licensed spectrum has provided extra
security that is sometimes needed. WAV, Inc has two vendors that both
are in the licensed spectrum (DragonWave
and Tranzeo Wireless).
Conclusions
The
allure of free unlicensed spectrum is there, but due to limitations
and interference, unlicensed bands do not address all of the needs
that operators come across in today’s market. Licensed broadband
wireless technology and unlicensed wireless technology do not directly
compete. Rather, the two technologies perform complementary roles. For
additional information, please contact your WAV sales representative
or call us directly at 800.678.2419.
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