World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[mr_schnizzle]

My guess is NMC will be planning their Hotzone rollout much as a Mobile Operator does. The process usually involves:-

1. Marketing identify areas requiring coverage to reach subscribers
2. Radio Planning Engineers use RF Coverage Prediction Tools, to predict Radio Coverage which factor in terrain, urban clutter, morphology to identify candidate basestation locations in the marketing target area. Take a look at Aircom International http://www.aircominternational.com/ who are well established with GSM/UMTS/WiMAX Prediction
3. The Prediction tool can also be backed up by field trial surveys, whereby a temporary basestation is erected and a mobile vehicle takes actual signal readings in the target area.
4. Prediction tool will also help to determine the number of basestations required to fulfill the coverage objective and also perform frequency interference analysis - for channel re-use. However addtional factors such as 'network capacity' need to be considered
5. Once site is acquired, basestation is deployed - but then the backhaul connection to the network (BRAS) is required. I assume NMC are licenced to use WiMAX backhaul to an Aggregation point (Edge Access Concentrator/Edge Router) or BRAS. If no WiMAX, then T1 leased lines or point to point microwave maybe required, which is ususally longer lead time (and most likely more expensive).

My hope is NMC are licenced to use WiMAX - as this will facilitate speedy integration of the hotzones. Like I said previously Hotzone shipping is not the same as Hotzone Integration. Most certainly the marketing guys will be doing their job, but my guess is they'll wait till the Hotzone's are integrated before going for the big marketing push in a given area. The marketing strategy is likely to be a bit more softer - i.e NMC have arrived and will be covering x,y,z areas in Q2 2007 etc.

Who knows - but that's IMO.

schnizzle