Wi-LAN Inc., a global provider of broadband wireless communications products and technologies, announced today it has received an order to supply its LIBRA 5800 broadband wireless access products for China Telecom Corporation's 5.8 GHz project in the northern China municipality of Tianjin.
China Telecom is a fully integrated telecommunications operator with local access networks in 21 provinces in the south and west of China, and 10 branch corporations in the 10 northern provincial regions where China Netcom owns the local telephone access networks. China Telecom is purchasing the LIBRA 5800 equipment for a point-to-multipoint network that it intends to use as an example for the deployment of other networks in northern China. Wi-Comm United Communications Inc. (WCU), a key Certified Gold Channel Partner and distributor of Wi-LAN products in China, will supply LIBRA 5800 products to China Telecom. Additional sales of Wi-LAN products are expected to follow once the initial showcase network is established.
"Although China Telecom owns licensed 3.5 GHz radio spectrum in Tianjin, they are deploying the 5.8 GHz LIBRA 5800 Series products because their licensed spectrum doesn't provide sufficient capacity to satisfy the market demand," said Lok Chow, CEO of WCU. "A 10 MHz channel size, 24 Mbps point-to-multipoint net throughput over distances of five kilometers or more, and W-OFDM's capability to operate in non-line-of-sight situations make Libra 5800 the ideal broadband wireless product for major carriers like China Telecom. We expect the success of this initial network in Tianjin to result in the deployment of large quantities of the LIBRA 5800 series products to provide high-speed data and voice service to China Telecom's customers in the northern provinces of China. Tianjin's advanced economic development and infrastructure make it an ideal location for China Telecom's initial broadband wireless network."
LIBRA 5800 is the license-exempt 5.8 GHz version of Wi-LAN's third generation series of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) broadband wireless access (BWA) products based on Wi-LAN's patented W-OFDM (Wide-band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) technology. LIBRA is the only product series in commercial use today that uses the same W-OFDM technology, commonly known as 256 sub-carrier OFDM, that has been adopted by the WiMAX Forum(1) and approved as the mainstream physical layer in the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN Standard(1) and in the current draft of ETSI HiperMAN(1). This Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (Wireless MAN) W-OFDM delivers robust outdoor NLOS performance that Wi-LAN has proven in various commercial BWA networks in over 30 countries worldwide.
NLOS capability significantly increases broadband wireless access subscriber coverage. NLOS also makes installation much simpler and less costly, reducing the service provider's required investment. Installers require only the general direction of the base station in order to install the products; installers then call the network operation center to activate the link. The installation is typically completed in under an hour and does not require RF-qualified installers. A PDA and quick menu setup can be used to facilitate the installation if required. LIBRA also offers tiered service management through CIR/MBR (Committed Information Rate / Maximum Burst Rate). The lightweight single unit design eliminates the need for expensive accessories and coaxial cable, is faster and less expensive to install, and can be mounted indoors or outdoors without the need for any climate control. These combine to significantly improve the service provider's business model by providing an improved return on a smaller required investment and a much shorter investment payback period.
