Call Flow Deploy New Fixed Wireless Broadband in Rural Hampshire

UK ISP Call Flow Solutions, working as part of the Government’s £10 million Innovation Fund pilot(s), has finally started to deploy a new fixed wireless superfast broadband network to help serve communities in the most rural parts (i.e. final 5%) of Hampshire (Southern England).

As one of eight pilot schemes the ISP was in June 2014 awarded £1,194,145 to roll-out a mix of “hybrid” technologies to the region (here), including Sub-Loop Unbundled (SLU) street cabinets for FTTC connectivity, ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) services and fixed wireless networks. Where possible Call Flow also use BTOpenreach’s existing cable ducts and poles to install new fibre optic lines.

The good news is that many of the pilots have already begun the deployment phase and Call Flow appears to have recently completed the roll-out of a new fixed wireless network in Hampshire using a combination of RADWIN’s 5000 Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) solutions (2.4 – 6.4GHz) for end-user connectivity and the RADWIN 2000 Point-to-Point for backhaul (capacity).

The network, which appears to operate in the sub-6GHz radio spectrum frequencies, is focused on areas in Kent, East Sussex and of course Hampshire that are beyond traditional fixed line DSL services. Apparently the end-user focused RADWIN 5000 solution, with a range of up to 25 miles, can deliver up to 250Mbps “per base station sector“, although individual subscriber speeds are more likely to be between 5-50Mbps (note: 20Mbps is a common package with Call Flow).

The above approach could also be used to supply SLU cabinets with capacity, similar to BT’s MTTC (Microwave) technology, although Call Flow usually only opt for Radio solutions in areas where cabinets aren’t viable (package details). Now for a cheesy info. video.