Using WiMAX to bridge nation’s digital divide

WiMAX is only one of the wireless technologies being explored to extend services into rural areas, and in some cases the use of unlicensed spectrum is providing new services to rural customers.
Unlike municipal Wi-Fi projects, the provisioning of rural wireless broadband networks establishes an entirely new opportunity for small communities, according to Jim Connor, president of Maryland-based Altius Communications.
“The logic of that has always been in question to many of us in the industry,” Connor said of municipal Wi-Fi projects. “It was wrought with challenges from the beginning. People already had access to DSL and cable and every kind of Internet access . they just might not have been able to do it on a park bench.”
On the other hand, “every rural broadband project is truly bridging the digital divide,” Connor said. “People who have been stuck in what we’d consider the Dark Ages with just dial-up, or maybe a satellite connection .are going to be able to take their lifestyle, their business opportunities to another level.”
Altius is involved in a partnership with Cinergy Communications and Digital Connections Inc. of Tennessee to put up a network covering about 60,000 people in Kentucky’s Green River Area Development District. The project will sport 28 towers and utilize unlicensed spectrum in the 5.8 GHz band for backhaul and 900 MHz band for service delivery. Both ends of the system will use Motorola Inc.’s Canopy technology.
In general, Connor said, most rural areas will still have to wait while metropolitan ones-with their attractive population density-receive the bulk of the buildout of next-generation networks.
“It’s going to follow suit with basically every other kind of wireless technology, that rural will come last,” Connor said.
With most of the U.S. WiMAX 2.3 and 2.5 GHz spectrum in the hands of large companies such as Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp., few small providers could offer services using those bands-but, Connor noted, that doesn’t mean rural companies aren’t looking at the technology. “WiMAX in general is being looked at as a licensed spectrum play, and not too many small companies have spectrum,” Connor said. “Most of them sold out to Sprint or MCI, but some of them still hold it and they are interested in building.”