1. IntroductionWireless technologies have been deployed in different parts of the world to provide local loop telecommunication services. Compared to traditional wireline (copper) local loop, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) technology solutions can be deployed much faster and at lower cost. In developing countries there has always been strong interest in using WLL technologies to bridge the ‘digital divide’.
Choosing the best WLL technology can be a challenging task, given the multiplicity of technologies available in different frequency bands. Many WLL technologies are proprietary, limited to a specific frequency band or only available from a few manufacturers, making it difficult to achieve the economies of scale that will lead to subsequent equipment cost reductions. Moreover, a challenge for WLL technologies is meeting the increasing demand for Internet access and broadband data applications. Not all fixed wireless technologies have been able to deliver Internet access in a cost effective manner, which has led to a limited set of viable WLL options.
Although an operator’s choice of a WLL technology may often depend on frequency band allotments, other factors such as infrastructure and handset availability, cost (which mainly depends on volume), spectral efficiency and data services capabilities of the technology also matter. CDMA2000®1, a 3G mobile communications technology, has been chosen by many operators as a preferred solution for their WLL requirements. The WLL operation is an alternative configuration of this full mobility technology that is incompliance with the regulatory requirements of the country in which it is deployed. The majority of WLL networks in the world are based on CDMA2000 at either 450 MHz or 850 MHz. By offering CDMA2000-based WLL services, the subscriber gets both toll-quality voice and high-speed, broadband data capabilities at the same time.
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