Adaptive Broadband, Telaxis Communications Announce Low-Cost Access Product to Address LMDS Spectrum

Integrating the RF capabilities of Telaxis Communications (South Deerfield, MA) with packet-on-demand modem and digital electronics provided by Adaptive Broadband Corp. (Sunnyvale, CA), the two companies announce they will partner to expand Adaptive Broadband's AB-Access wireless broadband product line to include the local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) licensed radio frequency spectrum, between 27.5 and 31.3 GHz.

LMDS is a wireless technology suitable for the broadband delivery of voice, data and video transmission. If deployed as a service, LMDS poses an alternative to digital subscriber line technology that uses the existing telephone wiring in every home, technology that is being deployed by local and long distance phone companies as well as Internet service providers.

Operating over U-NII (5.8 GHz), MMDS (2.5 GHz), 3.5 GHz and soon LMDS frequencies, AB-Access is an integrated solution available in frequencies from 2.5 GHz through 38 GHz, with extensions downward to 700 MHz and upward to 60 GHz in the future. The current AB-Access wireless broadband system provides data throughput of 25 Mbps per sector, both transmitting and receiving. Compact in size, the LMDS version of AB-Access is comparable to the 10- x 10- x 3-inch U-NII version with antenna, modem, transceiver and router integrated into one unit. With a target price of approximately $3,000 per subscriber unit, AB-Access offers an affordable LMDS solution with symmetrical, ultra-high data rates, the company said.

Several frequency bands have been allocated for two-way broadband network data access. The largest frequency allocation has been set aside for LMDS. In the United States, the LMDS spectrum is in the 27.5 and 31.3 GHz band. LMDS networks in other countries are expected to operate between 20 GHz and 45 GHz. LMDS is very attractive, its proponents say, acting as an optical fiber in the sky. No trenches, no tricky glass connects, just a pair of relatively small transceivers. Because the network can be expanded one wireless link at a time, LMDS technology is very scaleable.

Claimed to be the integrated wireless broadband solution providing time division duplexing (TDD)/ time division multiple access (TDMA) capabilities in LMDS and microwave spectrum for both asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and Internet protocol (IP) services, the prototype AB-Access LMDS equipment is scheduled to be demonstrated live at the Supercomm 2000 trade show in Atlanta, June 4-8, 2000, in the Adaptive Broadband Booth (#653). Production units are being developed and are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2000. Shortly afterwards 100 Mbps capabilities will be offered.

Edited by John Spofford