Nextel Communications Inc. said it plans to trial a wireless broadband network using IPWireless Inc.’s UMTS TD-CDMA technology and the carrier’s 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings. The trial, which is scheduled to begin during the third quarter, will cover portions of Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Alexandria and Reston, Va.; and Bethesda, Md.
Nextel said the trial will test a range of subscriber services, including broadband access for laptops, desktops and personal digital assistants and backhaul for enterprise campuses. Nextel also plans to test what it termed “wireless interactive multimedia services,” including video streaming, online gaming, document collaboration and video conferencing.
“The upcoming trial in the Washington, D.C., area is an example of our commitment to evaluate the best available broadband options in order to ultimately deliver cutting-edge services for our customers,” said Nextel Chief Technology Officer Barry West. “Nextel has conducted lab testing of the IPWireless technology, and this trial will allow us to test the performance and economics offered by the TD-CDMA technology in our 2.5 GHz spectrum.”
IPWireless noted the trial will use a 10-megahertz spectrum channel with average throughput of 1.5 megabits per second on the downlink and 500 kilobits per second on the uplink. Nextel said the trial will run for a minimum of six months and will be available only to select Nextel customers and not initially offered commercially to the public.
Nextel is in the process of being acquired by Sprint Corp., with the combined operation controlling a huge swath of 2.5 GHz spectrum covering 80 percent of the country’s population.
Nextel launched a similar network trial in early 2004 using Flarion Technologies’ Flash-OFDM technology and leasing 1.9 GHz spectrum in the Raleigh, N.C., area. That trial, which is scheduled to wrap up June 30, included approximately 150 cell sites and initially was limited to Nextel partners in the area before expanding to more than 3,000 customers.
A Nextel spokesman said the carrier received positive responses to the Flarion trial, with 90 percent of users saying they were pleased with the performance.
