PCIA GlobalXChange: Harris, Midwest Wireless sign ClearBurst deployment contract

Midwest Wireless will deploy the Harris Corp. (Melbourne, FL) ClearBurst 1000 system at its headquarters site in Mankato, Minnesota. The system, a point-to-multipoint, local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) system based on adaptive time division duplexing (TDD) technology, will be used to deliver high-speed data to businesses in Mankato. The agreement also provides for Midwest Wireless to upgrade the ClearBurst 1000 with the new generation ClearBurst 2000, coming soon.

Midwest Wireless will use the LMDS system to trial a variety of services, including voice over IP, streaming video, and high-speed Internet access. According to Brian Fingerson, vice president of engineering and technology for Midwest Wireless, the carrier decided to work with Harris because its high-quality LMDS technology, including its spectrum efficiency.

"These technology benefits combined with the tremendous expertise of Harris in network integration and customer support make us very positive about delivering high speed access services to our customers today," Fingerson said.

The system is TDD-based, which means more capacity per megahertz of spectrum, simplified frequency planning, and increased flexibility and scalability in network deployments, resulting in a higher return on investment for operators. The 2000 upgrade will feature a faster modem, higher capacity and greater flexibility. It is a fully redundant system with carrier-class reliability and quality of service guarantees.

"Midwest Wireless will be the first carrier in the country to deploy the ClearBurst 2000, and the first to benefit from its efficiencies in delivering high-speed services to customers," said Sam Wyman, president of Harris microwave communications division. "The ClearBurst 1000 has already demonstrated the viability of TDD technology, and the ClearBurst 2000 will demonstrate the viability of the complete system in enabling service providers to launch profitable services and build out networks on a large-scale basis."

The ClearBurst 2000 will be available in the spring of 2001. The system's patented airlink combines adaptive TDD, TDMA, and variable index modulation (4, 16, or 64 QAM) to maximize spectral efficiency and provide more throughout per megahertz of spectrum. The system supports 20 RF carriers per hub, and each carrier has a transport capacity of 180 Mb/s, for a total system capacity of 3.6 Gb/s. The 2000's high burst rate is a function of the patented airlink technology and very high speed, 40 Mbaud modems. The system also supports 20 and 10 Mbaud modems and a variety of channel bandwidths, 12.5 MHz to 56 MHz.

Edited by Ellen Jensen
Managing Editor, Wireless Networks Online