Wireless carrier Mobile One announced trials of three different U.S.-developed technologies for wireless high-speed data access for its subscribers.
M1, which has more than 1.1 million subscribers, 500,000 of which are GPRS users, has started technical trials of wireless broadband technologies that allow access speeds of more than 1 megabit per second-similar to that offered by traditional digital subscriber line broadband connections and cable TV networks.
M1 plans to test three variants of wireless broadband technology provided by the following vendors:
- SOMA Networks uses FDD (paired spectrum) and supports a variety of licensed spectrums including 1.9 GHz, 2.3 GHz, and 2.6 GHz. The technology is being deployed nationwide in Malaysia and has been used in Japan, North America and Western Europe.
- The iBurst broadband wireless system developed by ArrayComm Inc. and manufactured and distributed by Kyocera Corp. that operates on the 1.9 GHz TDD band. The iBurst system is operating now in Australia and South Africa with other worldwide deployments in the planning stages.
- IPWireless, which is based on UMTS TDD, the Third Generation Partnership Project standard optimized for high-speed data. It also operates on the 1.9 GHz TDD band and is available in 40 networks across five continents, including in deployments in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia.
The first trial using the Soma system and involving three other partners, Pacific Internet, Siemens AG and Cadmus Technologies, is in progress. The iBurst and IPWireless trials are scheduled to start before end of this year. Each trial will last between one and two months.
“The technical trials that M1 is conducting will give us an opportunity to assess the state of the art and to evaluate specifically the capacity, coverage and performance of the technology,” said Neil Montefiore, M1 chief executive officer.
In a separate announcement, IPWireless said Axcera will supply Netcom Africa Ltd., a leading Internet Protocol infrastructure provider of satellite and wireless broadband solutions in Africa, with the IPWireless UMTS TDD-based Axity3G non-line-of-site broadband solution for a nationwide deployment.
Axcera is a manufacturer and integrator of broadband wireless technology.
Netcom plans to offer reliable and affordable Internet access throughout Nigeria using the IPWireless technology. Netcom’s initial deployment will serve Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, covering a total population of more than 15 million, operating in the 2.5 GHz frequency band. Subsequent deployments are planned to provide service throughout Nigeria.
