News / Networks
TDS Metrocom begins wireless broadband rollout
On 6 February 2006, Alvarion said TDS Metrocom had started commercial broadband wireless deployment in its markets, beginning with Madison, Wisconsin. Following Appleton trials, the service was to use Alvarion BreezeACCESS VL equipment in the 5.8 GHz band.
A carrier network strategy
TDS described the network as a way to reduce reliance on leased lines from incumbent carriers and take more control of its broadband offer. The service was presented with symmetrical speeds of up to 4 Mbps, a maximum stated for that 2006 deployment rather than a promise of current performance.
Technology and expansion claims
The source lists OFDM, non-line-of-sight operation, encryption, quality-of-service functions and channel-planning features. It also reports the company’s interest in later licensed WiMAX products. These are vendor and operator claims from an early commercial rollout, not independently verified present technical advice. Actual customer experience would depend on site design, radio conditions and service implementation.
Fixed wireless changed the owner of the access path
TDS Metrocom’s stated aim was not merely to add another radio technology. By serving customers through its own wireless access network, it sought more control over the connection than a leased incumbent line allowed. That changes the operating calculation: the provider takes responsibility for radio planning, installation and ongoing performance, but can shape the offer around its own network rather than around a purchased wholesale path. The advertised symmetric ceiling was meaningful because it described the intended service profile for customers whose traffic moved in both directions.
Radio features mattered only as a deployed service system
OFDM, non-line-of-sight operation, encryption, quality-of-service controls and channel planning each address a different part of making a shared radio service usable. Together they point to a network that must cope with physical obstructions, protect traffic and allocate scarce capacity. None is a substitute for a well-chosen customer site. A business located behind trees or buildings, for example, may value the non-line-of-sight design, but still depends on the actual path, installation and network configuration chosen for that location.
The commercial question was whether control justified the new burden
For TDS, reducing leased-line reliance could make a local broadband offer more independent. In exchange, the company accepted the work of operating a radio layer and resolving problems that a leased access supplier might otherwise own. For a prospective customer, the relevant comparison was not technology branding alone. It was whether the proposed installation, stated service level and support relationship suited the site better than the available wired alternative. The rollout captures a common fixed-wireless trade-off: control can create differentiation, but it also makes local engineering part of the provider’s promise.