Radio subsystem delivering wireless broadband access
Extending broadband access to the Internet for all citizens and enterprises is still a priority for the EU. Fixed wireless systems offer an attractive solution in Europe for a number of reasons including dense urban centres that have concentrated potential subscribers, relatively uniform building heights for line-of-sight communication, and the prevalence of multiple households within a single building that can therefore be served by a single connection. The ADAMAS (ADAptive Multicarrier Access System) project developed a prototype point-to-multipoint outdoor fixed wireless system for broadband access. A single base-station can therefore provide two-way high-speed communication via microwave links to several subscribers. Central Research Laboratories Ltd contributed to the project by designing the microwave radio subsystem. The module is available for two frequency bands, the licensed 10.5GHz waveband and the unlicensed 5.8GHz band. The system is symmetrical, with transmission and reception taking place over a single channel. The transmission and reception paths are similar in structure and the base-station and subscriber units are identical. Competitive positioning of the product has been achieved by adapting specifications according to market trend, standardisation and socio-economic studies carried out as part of the project. The prototype was developed to be commercially representative, though not engineered to production requirements. Contracts have already been won for the module to be used in wireless news gathering and telecommunication link applications.
