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Australia's First Commercial Fixed Wireless Network

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the is-this-really-the-first dept.

randomErr writes: " Australia.Internet.com reports here that 'Of the $130 million Unwired Australia raised from the likes of Credit Suisse First Boston, Bruckman Rosser Sherrill and The Invus Group, $110 million was spent on licensing space on the 3.4Ghz spectrum. Yesterday it launched its first trial of the technology at no cost to the people of Paddington, a cosmopolitan suburb in Sydney's inner east.'" Of course, wireless broadband with cast-off satellite dishes sounds more fun ...

8 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Sounds like MMDS by cyberformer · · Score: 4, Informative
    The article just goes on about Wi-Fi, with almost no description of the service itself, but it sounds like MMDS --- the same thing that Sprint and AT&T dropped in the US about six months ago, after they were told that they could switch the spectrum over to 3G mobile instead.


    Good to see a free trial, though. Sounds like the company's actually trying to get the service right before it starts charging people, unlike so many other broadband or wireless services.

  2. Seems bizarre by jukal · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why would someone transfer data at 3.4 Ghz - and pay this company renting the bit-pipe, as there is the free 2.4 Ghz alternative and both use similar technology and products can easily support both bands?

    Regulating WLAN spectrum might be good for everyone - but this is not really what I was thinking about - to me it seems that this company is pissing in the wind. I would quess that what people will do, is to set their machines use 2.4 when it provides reliable enough bandwidth at good enough speed, and only use 3.4 during extreme peek hours. If this is how it goes, getting the $130 million investment on spectrum license (and millions put in other purposes) back might take so long, that we have already warped into next generation of spectrums.

    1. Re:Seems bizarre by Wohali · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Easy. 2.4GHz is getting VERY VERY busy. Plus, at least in the US, you're limited on the amount of power you can pump out. Perhaps on the higher band in Australia, you don't have that restriction, meaning you can push the bits farther in space...

      --
      "But always she's the spectre of uncertainty I first endured, then faded, then embraced..."
    2. Re:Seems bizarre by Graymalkin · · Score: 3, Informative

      ISM bands have very very very limited power output. When you actually pay money to license a raio band you can have a much much higher output transmitter. Higher output means a better signal at longer range. Not everything is fucking free and ISM bands aren't an answer to the communication quandaries of the known fucking world.

      --
      I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
    3. Re:Seems bizarre by jukal · · Score: 3, Informative

      802.11b (Wi-Fi) 2.4 Ghz ISM band.
      ISM (47 CFR 15.247): 2.400-2.4835GHz up to 1000mW

  3. I've talked with these people by thogard · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They intend to offer voice and data in mostly the same areas that you can get adsl and optus (cable tv, cable phone, cable internet). They will be going after the holes left by the other players and the newer urban areas.

    3.5Ghz sucks when you get too many people in a an area. Most places max out with about 6000 real broadband users. Some places went upto 18,000. Now figure spending 100 million for 18,000 in two major markets and three minor markets, whats the payoff on this. They also will be offering service that is slower than current adsl.

    The good thing is it will keep Telstra from increasing rates until they buy these guys out. Telstra just happens to be doing something with Unwired Australia but I'm not sure what. That assumes that Telstra won't plop down a few dslams to take these people out of the picture. I figure Telstra can drop 1.5/256/1G ADLS service down to about AU$15/mo and still cover their technology and upstream costs.

  4. not only rural areas are out of reach... by netsrek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You do realise that there are lots of areas in sydney where you can't get either ADSL or Optus cable? And some places where you can't get any broadband connections?

    Telstra cable is admittedly more attractive since Optus brought in their own cap, but I wouldn't be surprised if large areas of Paddington aren't serviced.

    oh yeah, and I currently work in Paddington, and used to live there. It's not all rich yuppies, just big slabs of it... you can still find pockets of student shared terraces around the place...

    --

    i don't read slashdot anymore.
  5. Re:Pringles? by FrostedWheat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    first they outlawed handguns

    And this is bad how?