Nortel brings first WiMAX to Canada

Inukshuk telco venture to deploy national mobile services based on the NextNet technology

Canada has been something of a flagship for pre-WiMAX broadband wireless, with the Inukshuk telco venture to deploy national mobile services based on the NextNet technology, which will be migrated over time to 802.16e. However, the first true WiMAX network to come to the country will be in rural south east Alberta, with Nortel planning to build a system covering 21,000 square kilometres for the Alberta Special Areas Board (SAB).

The system will operate in the 3.5GHz spectrum band and will be available to roughly 80% of area residents by the end of next summer. Nortel will supply fixed WiMAX base stations, indoor and outdoor customer premises equipment and wireless backhaul equipment, as well as installation and professional services. The network will equip homes and businesses in the area with fixed broadband wireless access at data rates between 1Mbps and 3Mbps.

Nortel will use the Airspan fixed equipment it licenses for its 802.16-2004 roll-out. It will launch Wi-Bro equipment through its joint venture with LG in mid-2006 and follow with its homegrown mobile WiMAX in late 2006. The SAB is collaborating with Netago Wireless, a newly formed service provider, which will extend the service area of the Alberta SuperNet Project, a provincial government initiative designed to bring affordable broadband services to government, health, library and educational facilities in 429 communities across Alberta. The network will support high speed internet access, multimedia applications including streaming video and music, VoIP and other real ttime business collaboration services, as well as video surveillance and remote telemetry.

This article originally ran in Wireless Watch, a publication of Rethink Research. Reproduced with permission. For information on the weekly Wireless Watch Newsletter and other Rethink Research products and services, click here.