I just ran into a fun blog that seems to be tracking the progress of “Minneapolis Unwired”. The article that caught my eye was a mention of a report from MN Daily (the University of Minnesota newspaper) about the University building its own WiFi network. Wha?
It seems as if US Internet would like to talk to the U about providing student discounts to the Minneapolis Network – but according to the blog nothing is in motion. This doesn’t make much sense to me. It seems as if one of the very big advantages of a municipal network is the opportunity to work with government agencies (and schools) to share costs and infrastructure.
I know the U is in ST Paul too. I assume that access to the U of M network (library, student files et al) is a completely different issue. I know there are issues with the Minneapolis Wireless network – but certainly the U doesn’t have to spend time and money to reinvent this wheel.
It seems like a job for an open access network model!
When i read reports like that i cringe also as it makes people see all wireless services under the same microscope when it couldnt be farther from whats really out there.im going to include a small write up just to show there are other wireless products .
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There can be no doubt that WiMax is a superior standard to those being promoted by traditional cell phone networks: W-CDMA and HSDPA. However the progress of WiMax has been disapointing. Intel have been working on including WiMax along side WiFi for mobile computing, but are being left behind, we are starting to see laptops with 3G built in. These existing Telcos have been spending large amounts of money promoting their products and rubbishing WiMax.
If you are like me and always on the road, you will appreciate that WiMax access is significantly less expensive. (Australia is one of the few countries that has a pre-WiMax service in all major cities).
WiMax and pre-WiMax adopted MIMO beam forming technology. This means that a single radio tower can service a radius of between 12km to 50km (if the user has a fixed parabolic antenna). We are starting to see MIMO bolted onto W-CDMA networks, but the established networks rely more on smaller cells rather than beam forming and their back-haul is typically wired, rather than tower to tower as for WiMax.
The other thing WiMax has that W-CDMA does not have is that it breaks the spectrum into multiple narrow sub-channels with overlapping channels using distinct code spaces. This eliminates multi-path fading because the frequency of the subcarriers is low enough not to be degraded by multi-path interference. In this respect it is like the digital TV standart known as DVB-T.
and this statement from the wall street journal
According to The Wall Street Journal “WiMAX has been most widely used in emerging markets, where laying down cable has often been prohibitively expensive and where fixed-line networks never had a chance to develop before mobile technologies emerged
.For people to compare all wireless services would be the same as saying all wired services work the same .Remember when your using that cell phone to check for the wire and if u dont see one then amazingly thats wireless.
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 1:29 pm
http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/broadband-mobile/articles/11175-serving-broadband-the-home-with-mobile-wimax.htm
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 2:28 pm
as i leave here is an interesting video and there are more on the site people may be interested in
http://www.wimax360.com/video/video/show?id=610217%3AVideo%3A31576
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 3:18 pm
Well as with everything its time to move on and make my final post on here.We have been approached about placing this business in another region and we are going to need make a smart business move on this very soon.As with all technology we can sit and argue each one out and how each is better but when the time comes its just talk and no action.If we dont all learn to work together and converge with an equation that will help consumers instead of holding forums which just delays action then no one will gain services and everything will just break down sooner .Future thinking will be what allows everyone services not now thinking.What has amazed me is the future thinking of native reserves in the technology lines.
So instead of being long winded and reciting a quote from a former resident who is now a top person in the wimax field i will end with your doing a great job with this blog keep it up .I will continue to read the blog but if we are not providing in the region then its not my place to place my opinion.
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 3:20 pm
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wimax&search=Search
there are some good videos there to help inform people .We are going a test tomorrow on a 1 gig service using wimax
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 6:34 pm
Jamie,
I think you bring up some big points. I think that the technology is almost incidental to the politics in so many communities. So often, too many people are worried about losing turf rather than considering how everyone could work together to raise the standard of living all of the way around.
Thanks! Ann
By: Ann Treacy on October 22, 2007
at 7:52 pm
yes ann politics does slow progress .I am stuck with the dilema of now having to decide whether to set up my business in another state or whether to set up in a region i truely believe needs modern technology and the jobs that comes with it.The region thats asked us to think about moving our services is in the state of missouri which has a large rural region that wants services which will also work with public safety .So now you know our quandry and what and where this needs to go .Also we should mention we do believe fully in open networks and working with regions to bring services to them in a fast manner.Also i would like to know what speedbasis service is measured whether its Mbps meaning megabits per second or Mbps megabytes per second .Amazingly it does make a huge difference.
By: jamie on October 22, 2007
at 11:34 pm
Im reading everyday as other countries are moving quickly ahead with there deployments and wonder with a realization that with every announcement we move father behind as we cant decide if we want to or not.As with the numerous writeups i have emailed you its showing the progress by other countries in making sure they have services to all there regions
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202600277
As we will read the world wants a mobile solution not a fixed .Im going to ask a question here and hopefully will get an answer ,would mobility make life easier or would a fixed solution work better?
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 12:10 am
im sitting here with a smile as im sure you can see the frustrations that many others have seen when it comes to dealing with certain aspects thats made them leave areas and set up elsewhere .
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 12:15 am
In some ways I think that the success in Kentucky and now in Tennessee will light a fire under us in Minnesota faster than the success of countries around the world because sometimes I think we are too removed from places around the world. Few of us have visited them; we don’t know that much about them – but we know Tennessee.
I don’t think that attitude is helpful to us in the new, flat world – but I’m afraid that it’s a sign of how slow we can be – not just in Minnesota by any means but across the US.
By: Ann Treacy on October 23, 2007
at 8:26 am
Yes you are right .
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 12:16 pm
http://www.dailywireless.org/2007/10/22/california-wildfires-networked/
we can relate to the forestfires and how the services fighting these are networked
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 12:38 pm
http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/news/20071017/
http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/news/20071017/images/hpwren.jpg
this will show u how the wimax services where placed and the frequencies they used to promote there services over the areas
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 12:51 pm
ann if some people would like to keep up to date on the california fires here is a website they can use to gain access to various news feeds
http://www.centernetworks.com/california-fires-social-media
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 1:03 pm
Its been one of those weeks as we here worry about friends and coworkers in the california regions that are going threw the tradgedys of having to face the loss of there homes .Some of the vendors we deal with are based in those areas and we wish them and theres the best as well as any people from the minnesota region who may also have relatives in those regions who may be in danger.
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 1:20 pm
http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/news/index.html
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 1:38 pm
Ann have you heard anything on the wimax deployment for minneapolis which should be in place by april 2008.I got an email from a vendor who was talking about them using there equipment to provide services city wide .
By: jamie on October 23, 2007
at 8:46 pm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/aag/speeches/publicsafetytech.htm
By: jamie on October 24, 2007
at 12:39 am
http://www.pdc.us/unwire/faq.asp
this is asite to show you the portland project
By: jamie on October 24, 2007
at 12:39 am