FCC Opens Up New Wireless Frontier

By Jason Lopez
NewsFactor Network

October 16, 2003

"It won't take long for manufacturers to get [wireless data-transfer] equipment on the market," says Lou Slaughter of the Wireless Communications Association. "It's very exciting historically. It's the largest block of spectrum the FCC has ever opened up at one time."

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules that open up high-frequency "millimeter wave" bands for commercial use in the U.S. The FCC expects the spectrums will be used for point-to-point high speed data transfer.

The bands -- 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, and 92-95 GHz -- have never been used commercially and will provide some relief for the congestion experienced in other parts of the spectrum.

Multi-Gig Wireless

The bandwidths are very narrow; while not suited to broadcasting, they are ideal for beamed transmission of signals. "The spectrum is capable of multi-gig [bps] connections over moderate distances," Jeff Campbell, director of technology and communications policy for Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO), told NewsFactor.

There are some drawbacks. Frequencies in the 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, and 92-95 GHz ranges can be affected by bad weather and are limited to just a few miles. The most typical application of new technologies using "millimeter wave" bands is a campus setting where buildings have not yet been connected to fiber. The FCC envisions that transmission and reception equipment will be an alternative to cable.

"It's 30 to 40 grand to dig up a street and lay fiber. Wireless will be a lot cheaper and easier," Lou Slaughter, co-chair of the above-60 GHz committee of the Wireless Communications Association, told NewsFactor.

"The technology allows for an excellent add-on for network providers, because it saves them the trouble of having to lay new fiber," Campbell says. "You might call it a wireless fiber replacement."

Still Workin' on It

No one knows how much of a market there will be for wireless data-transfer services from building to building. Only one company, Loea Communications, has developed working equipment.

"The private sector is experimenting with different uses for these bands," said FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin, "and this spectrum may ultimately be used commercially for high-speed wireless local area networks, broadband access systems for the Internet, point-to-point communications, and point-to-multipoint communications."

But industry experts, including Slaughter, are not concerned. "It won't take long for manufacturers to get equipment on the market," he says. "It's very exciting historically. It's the largest block of spectrum the FCC has ever opened up at one time."