Description
Book SynopsisWireless Broadband utilizes a reader-friendly approach to clearly explain the business, regulatory, and technology issues of the future market for wireless services. It covers broadband and the information society; drivers of broadband consumption; global wireless market analysis; broadband IP core networks; convergence; and contention and conflict. Complemented with more than eighty illustrations, this book provides unparalleled insight into the emerging technologies, service delivery options, applications, and digital content that will influence and shape the next phase of the wireless revolution.
Trade Review"[The authors] provide an interesting historical perspective of the telecoms industry looking at how it has developed since the break-up of the Bell monopoly in 1956 … .An extremely informative, insightful and thought-provoking volume." (
Engineering and Technology, February 2009)
Table of ContentsForeword xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
List of Figures xxi
INTRODUCTION 1
1 WHERE WE ARE—WIRELESS MEETS THE BROADBAND INTERNET 5
Where We Are 5
How We Got Here: Reintegration of the Telecom Oligopoly and Cracks in the Walled Gardens 6
Flexibility Comes to Wireless Spectrum 22
The Wireless Technology Diaspora 23
Cellular Carriers: Stuck on Stickiness 26
Managed Network Services: The Outsourced Network 30
Enhanced Broadband Voice 31
Fixed Mobile Convergence 33
Boundary Blurring 34
References 35
2 BROADBAND AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY 37
Impact of Telecommunications on the Economy 39
Wireless Versus Wired Network Economics 40
Broadband Matters 42
So What of Broadband Wireless in All This? 42
How Does the United States Rank Against the Rest of the World? 44
Expansion of the DOI 47
References 49
3 GLOBAL WIRELESS MARKET ANALYSIS 51
Macro Trends 52
The Era of ‘‘Mass Specialization’’ 61
Review of Major Markets 68
The Developing World is Catching Up Rapidly 75
References 76
4 THE VIRTUAL DISPLACES THE PHYSICAL 77
From Circuits to Packets 78
‘‘Lies, Damn Lies and Statistical Access Networks’’ 79
Moore’s Law Finally Reaches Telecom 80
The ‘‘New Broadband’’ Eclipses ‘‘Neo Broadband’’ 82
Regulatory and Public Policy Collide with Technology Shifts 83
References 87
5 CONVERGENCE FINALLY ARRIVES 89
The Quad Play: Voice, Data, Video, and Mobility 89
The Quad-Play Advantage 90
Fixed Mobile Convergence and Unlicensed Mobile Access 93
Broadband Market Overview 100
6 DRIVERS OF BROADBAND CONSUMPTION 105
Trends in Mobile and Converged Content Markets 105
User Interface 105
Handset Display Graphics 107
Mobile Video Content 109
Music 109
Audio 110
GPS/Location-Based Services 110
Messaging and Hosting 113
Internet 2/Web 2.0 Social Networking 115
User Device Form Factors 116
Processing Power 117
Data Management 117
Camera/Video Management 117
Mobile Advertising 118
Voice 119
Video 122
Video Compression Technologies 123
Fixed Digital Video Services 127
Traditional Data Services 131
SCADA (Supervision, Control, and Data Acquisition) 131
Gaming 132
Sensor Networks 132
7 THE EMERGING INFLUENCE OF THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY 135
Wireless Local Area Networks Grow Up and Out:
Municipal WiFi 135
Organic WiFi Networks 138
Public Safety WiFi Derivative 140
License-Exempt Spectrum 140
The Coordinated ‘‘Shared Commons’’ 141
The WiFi Alliance 142
WiMAX Forum 143
8 ALWAYS BEST CONNECTED 145
Product Definition for Broadband Wireless Systems 145
Technology Drivers 146
Evolving Wireless Broadband Market Segments 150
Open Systems and Intelligence at the Edge 152
Radio Network System Engineering 153
References 154
9 BROADBAND IP CORE NETWORKS 155
User Authentication and Log-In 155
Provisioning 156
Fixed- and Mobile-Converged Services Over a Unified Packet Network 157
Fixed Broadband Wireless Networks 159
10 WIDEBAND 3G TO BROADBAND 4G—COLLISION AND CONVERGENCE OF STANDARDS 167
Collision of 3G and WiMAX Standards 168
3GPP and Long-Term Evolution 169
WiMAX and Mobile WiMAX 175
11 RADIO TECHNOLOGY—MOVING THE GOAL POSTS 191
Enabling Technologies 191
Generic Radio Devices 195
12 CONTENTION AND CONFLICT—REGULATORY, POLITICAL, FINANCIAL, AND STANDARDS BATTLES 199
Regulatory Drivers 200
Radio Spectrum Allocations 202
Radio Spectrum Auctions: A Failed Policy? 203
Financial Realities 205
The Standards Wars: Proprietary Versus Open Standards 207
The Many Faces of the Standards Process 208
13 CONCLUSION 213
Economic Growth 214
Public Policy 215
A WIRELESS BROADBAND GLOSSARY 217
B A SCENARIO OF A BROADBAND WIRELESS CUSTOMER, CIRCA 2012 231
2012 Scenario 231
C SPECTRUM TABLES—WIRELESS BROADBAND 235
Mobile Network Spectrum Allocations 235
Index 237
About the Authors 251
