Posted: 15th Sep, 2004 By: MarkJ
Pacific Century Cyber Works (PCCW), which currently owns all 15 licenses for the 3.4GHz UK band, has let slip some more details about future broadband wireless services:
Now the complete dominance of a UK 3.4 GHz frequencies by subsidiaries of Hong Kong telco owned Pacific Century Cyber Works is an established fact, and apart from operations in unlicensed frequencies and the fact that it may soon be possible to sell, swap and barter spare spectrum in the UK, PCCW is set to own all WiMAX class services that are rolled out in the UK and it is likely to be a marketing leading trial copied by the rest of Europe.
We say WiMAX class because initial intelligence on PCCW had it that its new Netvigator service will in fact use the IP Wireless UMTS TDD technology that is a data delivery extension of 3G. Talking to the previously reticent PCCW in the UK this week Faultline discovers that actually the company is a fan of WiMAX and would much prefer to use it, but says that to wait for it would mean missing a huge opportunity in the UK.
And more than this it is also working with proprietary Navini equipment as well and has yet to choose between the two technologies for nationwide roll-out. Navini has committed long term to deliver equipment that is WiMAX compatible and certified which means that it will be compatible with high volume Intel chipsets that are expected over the next few years, driving customer premises equipment down and down.The Register has a long and detailed article, yet it remains clear that PCCW still has a lot of deciding to do regarding the final shape of its service.