CAMBRIDGE BROADBAND REACHES 27KM WITH 15MBPS BROADBAND WIRELESS CONNECTION IN 3.5GHZ BAND

Cambridge, UK, 16 May 2002: Broadband subscribers can now be reached at distances of up to 27km from a base station, using Cambridge Broadband’s 3.5GHz VectaStar 3500 fixed wireless access system.     In a recent series of long-distance performance trials, the VectaStar system delivered net user data rates of 15 megabits per second both downstream and upstream, enough for several carrier-class E1 or T1 links.

    These results underline VectaStar’s position as the leading broadband wireless system on the market and signify a dramatic reduction for network operators in the costs of rolling out high-speed broadband networks over large geographical areas, including rural and semi rural regions.

    Les Shortall, Director of Marketing at Cambridge Broadband, comments; “We used factory-issue units with standard antennas for our performance trials, so data speeds of 15Mbps over a 27km range are typical of what can be achieved by a network operator in a commercial deployment. It’s a whole new business case with this combination of speed, service quality and range.”

   The ability to deliver such high data rates over long distances has substantial cost implications for operators and brings ubiquitous broadband another step closer. The greater the range, the more cost-effectively customers can be reached, because fewer base stations are needed to achieve coverage. This is particularly compelling for operators addressing rural areas. A single VectaStar base station can now reach subscribers in a cell area of over 2000 square kilometres. By contrast, an LMDS system, with a typical range of 5km, would barely cover 75 square kilometres.

    Les Shortall concludes: “Small and medium businesses everywhere need high quality broadband services but they are often stranded between fibre links that they can’t afford and DSL or cable modem offerings that don’t go fast enough or far enough. These results prove that a carrier-class wireless system such as VectaStar can deliver true broadband service at long range. Using VectaStar allows operators to reach their customers almost everywhere, regardless of subscriber location.”

    The trials were carried out using VectaStar in a standard point-to-multipoint deployment in Cambridge, UK, using QPSK modulation, a 90-degree base station sector and a 2x14MHz channel, a typical spectrum assignment. The base station access point was positioned on the roof of Cambridge Broadband’s UK headquarters, a typical three-storey office building. The subscriber unit was mounted on the company’s field test Landrover at a height of around 10 metres, similar in height to a residential or low-level office building.

    VectaStar operates in the 3.5GHz band, the most commonly licensed fixed wireless access band around the world. Last month, the UK government released a consultation document into the use of the 3.5GHz , and plans to award licences by the end of 2002. The government plans to award regional licences, with roll out obligations imposed on operators. High performance equipment with a large range makes it even easier for operators to meet their deployment targets, and Cambridge Broadband is currently in discussions with potential licence applicants.

    More recently, Cambridge Broadband announced a $12.5m deal for VectaStar equipment in China, currently the fastest-growing 3.5GHz market.

    VectaStar was recently independently acknowledged as the world’s fastest carrier-class FWA system, in a report by the Strategis Group. Because of its fibre-like bandwidth and guaranteed quality of service VectaStar is ideal for extending the reach of existing backbone networks and for rapid deployment of new broadband networks.

   The VectaStar 3500 system will be on show during SuperComm 2002 (Hall A2, 31322), Atlanta, USA, from June 4 to 6, at CommunicAsia 2002 (Hall 3, 3G3-01), Singapore, from June 18 to 21, and at WCA 2002 from June 23 to 27.