Executive SummaryThis report introduces Australia’s broadband marketplace using wireless technologies.
Material on the fundamental promises and problems is presented, with some market opportunities elucidated here.
The first started to emerge in early 2005.
The market must be considered in the context of fixed broadband alternatives, which are typically dominated by Telstra via xDSL and cable connections.
However, other developments are already appearing on the horizon with the arrival of high-speed Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs).A number of different technologies are discussed, including WiMAX, LMDS and GPRS/EVDO and the major market players in each sector.
In this respect the regulatory issues that are emerging highlight the differences between the incumbent and emerging wireless broadband players.
The real future of wireless broadband, however, will lie well beyond the current markets of broadband and mobile data.Thanks to new technologies, Service Providers are increasingly exploring the unlicensed spectrum bands (eg the 2.4GHz spectrum) for applications such as high-speed wireless broadband, LAN and WLL services for data.
This report considers and analyses one variant of the technology: IEEE 802.11.
All major WIFI projects are described.WiMAX is positioning itself as an alternative broadband customer access technology.
The longer it takes for incumbents to roll out true broadband networks (10Mb/s-plus) the more chance wireless broadband has of securing a position in this market.
In the end it will depend on whether the technology case and the business case for WiMAX will stand up against alternative offerings from fixed and other mobile systems.
The early and pre-WiMAX are discussed.
The future of WiMAX however might be more in the area of WPAN.The merger of Bluetooth and UWB reveals the future direction of WPANs.
WiMAX will be the beginning of this development.
Once UWB becomes established as a commercially acceptable and economically viable product WiMAX networks will begin to move to UWB.
This will result in an AI (artificial intelligence) network infrastructure, linked to personal devices, with high storage capacity and parallel processing.
Data will move freely around this wireless grid, which, of course, will also be linked into the fixed network.There are a number of carriers in Australia providing hybrid satellite-based Internet access and related data distribution services using the same technology.
It was not until the late 1990s that large-scale satellite TV started to arrive, thanks to Austar, but as that is only based on pay TV it certainly is nowhere near a superhighway.
A successful Federal Government broadband subsidy scheme (HiBis) is boosting broadband connections in regional and rural Australia.