The urban landscape is littered with WiFi these days. In today's WiFi-friendly world, mobile workers can gain access to broadband resources from coffee shops or hotel lobbies around the world.
Granted, there are those pesky dead zones between hotspots. And we haven't yet achieved the stage where anyone can open their laptop or handheld device in any location and expect an immediate link to broadband services. However, with each passing month, there is more broadband to be had for the mobile user.
Experts say it won't be long before wireless broadband could be as ubiquitous as cellphone service. All it will take is a little imaginative thinking — and some newer technology approaches to fill in the missing links.
IN THE BEGINNING: WIFI
In its earliest iteration, WiFi was intended as a wireless broadband service for local area and in-home networking. Since those early days, WiFi has managed to extend its reach considerably.
How it's set up:
- WiFi uses access points, each of which can transmit data over distances of 300 to 600 feet
- WiFi can also be configured as a wireless "mesh" where multiple access points are linked to create a "co-operative" communication infrastructure to cover larger areas
"WiFi mesh is the latest effort to stretch the distance coverage of WiFi by relaying signals from one access point to another," explains Berge Ayvazian, an analyst with the Yankee Group. He notes that this approach, while effective in expanding broadband coverage, has its limits.
A major one is the logistics and costs associated with creating multiple hops over larger distances. "As an open space for a campus environment, mesh works very well," says Eugene Roman, group president, Bell Systems and Technology in Toronto. "However, there are high costs associated with having that many access points, which doesn't make mesh an attractive business proposition for many larger applications."
Some characteristics to keep in mind about WiFi are:
- WiFi is short for wireless fidelity
- It is used to refer to any type of 802.11-based wireless LAN network
- While all 802.11 a/b/g products are called WiFi, only products that have passed the WiFi Alliance testing can be called WiFi Certified
- The newest 802.11n wireless protocol that promises faster speeds and greater range is still under draft development (802.11n products are available today)
- WiFi Certified products are interoperable with each other even if they are from different manufacturers
- Radio frequency band used for WiFi is 2.5 GHz for 802.11b or 802.11g; 5GHz for 802.11a
- It operates over unlicensed frequencies so is prone to signal interference
- Service is offered on a best effort basis (not carrier grade)
THE NEXT WAVE: WIMAX
Given the voracious appetite for bandwidth in all walks of life, it was only a matter of time before efforts were made to bring the same interoperability over a wider area. Enter WiMAX. Some say 2008 is the year WiMAX will break out of obscurity. Why the interest in another wireless broadband service? Because it can bring the carrier grade service and long distance coverage WiFi has lacked.
How it works:
- WiMAX radios are set up to communicate from base station to base station similar to cellular networks
- WiMAX-based technology (i.e. a single base station) can transmit signals over distances of two to six kilometers (By way of comparison, using a WiFi mesh architecture to cover one mile would require up to 100 access points)
- WiMAX can be used to "backhaul" hotspots (i.e. to bridge the bigger gaps between access points) by connecting one location to another
- WiMAX can be used in a hybrid architecture with WiFi to bring connectivity in buildings, public areas and consumers' homes
"WiMAX can create a much more expansive inclusion zone," says Mr. Roman. "It could move us out of today's world of the 'urban haves' with the 'suburban/rural have-nots' and get wireless broadband beyond city limits to smaller communities and less densely populated areas."
Kevin Suitor, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Redline Communications in Markham states it succinctly by calling WiMAX the "broadband wireless alternative for the middle mile."
As far as the Canadian market is concerned, there is more work to be done before WiMAX appears on the scene in any meaningful way says Mr. Roman. "We have yet to hear what Industry Canada will do about licensing. Until those decisions are made, it's anybody's guess when WiMAX will be deployed here."
