CellularVision

Vancouver: CellularVision could be the next souped-up Chevy traveling down Canada’s information highway if WIC Western International Communications has its way. Last month, the Western-based broadcast conglomerate successfully launched its first demonstration of the new communications technology in Calgary.

Luther Haave, president of wic’s pay-per-view division, describes CellularVision as ‘a broadband bidirectional communication system that doesn’t rely on a wired connection. Simply put, it’s like a fiber-optic pipeline in the air. Only once you establish a transmitter or `cell’ in a coverage area, anybody that is ready to do business with you in that area, be it a business or home, can receive the service immediately – they don’t have to wait for the building of an infrastructure or connecting up (of) homes.’

This, coupled with the fact that CellularVision offers an equivalent capacity to that promised by fiber optics – only at a fraction of the cost – has many in the telecommunications industry keen with anticipation.

Invented by Bernard B. Bossard, CellularVision technology was patented in the u.s., with wic holding exclusive Canadian rights to the technology. The system operates in the 27.5-29.5 Ghz microwave band, a virtually unused segment of the band spectrum formerly reserved for point-to-point commercial links such as electronic news transmission. It also offers the first use of the super-high or ‘millimeter’ portion of the airwaves previously considered a fallow piece of spectrum.

Now useful

Haave explains: ‘Prior to the time when this invention was patented, this frequency band was not very useful. The wave would disperse very quickly at this level of frequency. It is only by application of CellularVision’s patent-protected technique that this band has become useful for the first time. Having a chunk of the spectrum opened up that has as much band-width capability as fiber optics but that can be delivered through the air at low power is very exciting.’

wic’s CellularVision over-the-air delivery system in Calgary is now operational and providing clear audio and video signals from one transmitter or ‘cell’ located at wic-owned cict-tv to receivers in various locations throughout the city. The signals are being broadcast within an area of approximately six miles in diameter and are received by antennas that measure less than six-by-six inches.

A second transmitter was installed at the end of July. This will enable the system to demonstrate the retransmission of signals to adjacent transmitters.

Haave says the most important advantage of CellularVision over existing technology is that it is wireless. He says the quality of the wireless signal versus wire-line-delivered systems can be compared to the difference between fm and am radio signals – there’s virtually no interference. In addition, he says, direct broadcast satellites rely on a direct line of sight to reflect signals. ‘This is a problem for large apartment buildings where apartments don’t have a line of sight on one side. A wireless system like CellularVision doesn’t have this obstacle.’

Connection

The challenge of getting broadband services to the consumer is getting it to the premises, says Haave. ‘If you rely on a wired technology, you have to pull in a wired connection into each house. It takes an incredible deployment of infrastructure to get a piece of optical fiber or cable into every consumer outlet.’

CellularVision is also bidirectional whereas most other technologies are one-way: it can send information as well as receive. Obviously, this is a major consideration for any interactive applications.

Lower-cost alternative

For consumers, wic says CellularVision can offer a lower cost, higher quality alternative to the existing coaxial cable television service. In addition, consumers will have the potential to access more television and computer-based services.

As to whether wic will be working with the cable or telephone companies to supply this new technology into homes, Haave says, ‘wic is prepared to work with anybody. We have rights to the technology in Canada. We will have to see who comes forward recognizing that this is a cost-effective way of providing new and enhanced technology to the consumer.

‘It doesn’t make sense to have all the different forms of delivery systems competing, each spending massive amounts of money to speculatively bet on what market share of the new services the public might be prepared to purchase in the new information age, especially when there is an alternative technology available that could deliver similar performance at a fraction of the cost.’