Re: [nznog] More ‘public park’ broadband wireless spectrum released

1W is good for 3 or 4km in perfect conditions, I'm guessing most WISPs need to cover larger areas than this. The max output power at 5.8Ghz also appears to have been reduced - it is now max. 4W (good for about 5 or 6km). So presumably much of the gear WISPs have been using won't be allowed anymore e.g. Trango's with dishes, etc. This might be good news for WISPs operating small metro networks, but it is bad news for anyone covering large rural areas. Basically, operating a reasonable size WISP has just got a lot more expensive. Cheers, Paul On 5 Apr 2007 at 17:13, Blair Harrison wrote:

On 4/5/07, Dan Clark wrote:

The government has opened the 5.47 - 5.725 GHz and 57 - 64 GHz radio frequency bands as 'public park' spectrum for broadband wireless services suitable for expanding wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi) and to extend the reach of existing fibre optic networks. Access to 'public park' spectrum does not attract a licence fee. Previously licensed users in the bands should be able to continue to operate without being unduly impacted.

The General User Radio Licence contains conditions to ensure that broadband wireless equipment operating in the 5.47 - 5.725 GHz band does not cause interference to existing radar operations that share this band. Access to the 5.47 - 5.725 GHz band augments access to the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands and more than doubles the spectrum that is now exclusively available for wireless local area networks.

The full details have been amended to the GURL page at the RSM website:

http://www.rsm.govt.nz/licensing/gurls/gurl-srd.html :

Note 6:In the band 5470-5725 MHz the maximum transmitter power is 250 mW with a maximum permitted mean power of 1 watt e.i.r.p. and a maximum permitted mean power density of 50 mW/MHz e.i.r.p., provided Dynamic Frequency Selection and Transmitter Power Control are implemented. If transmitter power control is not in use, then the maximum permitted mean power shall be reduced by 3 dB.

This is great news for all our WISPs wanting to deploy more low power micro-pops around the place and avoid stomping on their own existing 5.3/5.8Ghz channels. As 5.4Ghz has just been given the go ahead by the FCC in the US, there will be FCC compliant equipment becoming available very soon!

Hopefully the new generation of equipment will allow our WISPs to keep leap-frogging ADSL in delivering faster, better broadband out to the masses :)

Cheers, Blair

NetSmart Ltd http://www.netsmart.co.nz/, Level 2, Regency House, 1 Elizabeth Street, P O Box 15020, Tauranga, New Zealand Tel: 07 5711367 Fax: 07 5711372