Wireless Online Introduces MMDS Smart Antenna Technology to Provide Wireless Internet Access - WOL-2527 AB Mulitchannel Multipoint Distribution System - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, Sept 6, 1999

Wireless OnLine, Inc., an innovator in smart antenna systems, Tuesday announced that it has developed an MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution System) multibeam smart antenna solution for fixed wireless Internet access applications. The WOL-2527AB is designed to integrate with receiver/transmitter base stations operating in the 2.5-2.7 MHz range, more than doubling the range of MMDS networks.

Wireless OnLine's new MMDS smart antenna is ideal for telecommunications companies and wireless service providers looking to provide high-speed Internet access to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses in urban, suburban and rural markets. Designed to seamlessly work with existing MMDS base station units, the WOL-2527AB reduces the number of base stations a network operator needs to cover to a specific area, while also improving coverage. By greatly extending the range provided by a single base station as well increasing the transmission success rate, the WOL-2527AB smart antenna improves network efficiency and dramatically reduces the cost of planning, deploying and provisioning wireless Internet access.

Broadband access markets are on the verge of tremendous growth, with demand expanding globally and investment in telecommunications infrastructure rapidly escalating. Within this market, fixed wireless systems are expected to generate global service revenues approaching $10 billion in five years and $28 billion in 10 years, according to industry analyst firm The Strategis Group. In the firm's recently released report, "World Wireless Broadband: LMDS, MMDS, and Broadband WLL 1999-2008" author Susan Welsh de Grimaldo noted that cumulative end-user equipment sales are projected to approach US$4 billion by the end of 2008.

"Global interest in wireless broadband is really taking off, with potential in both developed and developing telecom markets," said Ms. Welsh de Grimaldo, senior consultant at The Strategis Group. "In developed markets, the technology holds benefits for new competitive operators seeking to enter the local access market. For developing countries, wireless broadband offers state-of-the art, cost efficient, flexible networks that can be quickly deployed without the high cost and time involved in wireline infrastructure projects."

"The rapid growth of fixed wireless Internet access here and overseas makes our MMDS system even more compelling due to the cost savings and performance gains it provides," said Greg Oslan, president and chief executive officer of Wireless OnLine. "Our smart antenna technology is both technically and economically superior to current network technology and provides benefits to service providers during initial network build out as well as during the network's operational life."

WOL-25272AB Heritage

The availability of the WOL-2527AB closely follows Wireless OnLine's July 26 announcement of the results of a showcase network that demonstrated the use of its WOL-2000R smart antenna receiving system for two-way messaging applications. The fully operational two-way messaging network using smart antenna locations operated for seven months in the greater San Francisco Bay region. With just four antenna sites equipped with Wireless OnLine's 901 MHz technology, the network covered more than half of the Bay area's 6.5 million residents over an estimated 1000 square miles of coverage area. Independently verified test results showed that the four-antenna network more than doubled the range and increased the coverage by over 500 percent, compared to an existing messaging network with over 30 antennas in the region.

Significant Benefits

The WOL-2527AB system is ideal for initial network buildouts, offering the best price/performance ratio on the market. The system provides significant improvements in antenna gain, reduced interference due to beam shaping techniques, and better frequency re-use options. This translates into fewer sites, better in-building penetration and better quality, resulting in significant upfront and ongoing economic savings. In addition, the smart antenna system is fully upgradeable, with the option to include a full SDMA base station that can vastly improve network capacity for future expansion.

The Future

The WOL-2527AB is in the final stages of development and testing and will be available for customer trials in Q4 1999, with commercial availability expected in Q1 2000.

Wireless OnLine will showcase its smart antenna technology from September 21-24 at PCS '99, in New Orleans, LA. Attendees from around the globe will have an opportunity to see the current two-way messaging and MMDS antenna systems as well as discuss the future applications with company executives.

Messaging carriers and other potential smart antenna customers can contact the company directly at 650-917-2100, or on the World Wide Web at www.wireless-online.com.

Founded in 1996, Wireless OnLine is a privately held company with headquarters in Los Altos, CA, R&D facilities in Tel Aviv, Israel and Sales and Service in Dallas, Texas. The company develops and commercializes breakthrough wireless telecommunications technologies to increase coverage, expand capacity and improve quality in wireless networks. Its first products provide the personal communications industry with smart antenna and receiving systems based on Spatial Division Multiple Access and Motorola's ReFLEX pager technology.