The answer to your questions does not have a generic answer. If your area is highly rural, there might be options. But to find out, you'd likely have to spend some money to get a spectrum search done to find it, if it exists. Licensed PtMP spectrum is not accessible to most, in most areas, as you stated, it takes Billions at auction. But there someimes is the option to sub-lease spectrum from spectrum licensees, if they have not already leased it out. EBS is one example, often owned by local school systems previously. Some spectrum ranges were sold in small geograpghical blocks, so leaving it unused in some small rural towns. Most cell carriers already found the vacant spectrum and leased it, like much of the 2.5Ghz spectrum used by Sprint/Clearwire.
One way to find it is to go to FCC website, and do a geosearch for spectrum owners within a radius of your area. Then manually call them all, to ask if they are using it, and would be interested in sub-leasing it if not. That can be a tedius process for someone not familiar with it all. There are only two resources I know of to refer you to. 1) I belive WISPA's attorney, Steve Coran, has helped some companies find licensed spectrum. 2) I believe SpectrumBridge databases unused spectrum, and helps prospective leasee find leasors. > We're in Carroll and Grayson Counties in SW VA. I just can't see a business > case for investing in licensed wireless for 21k houses in 900 sq miles Not necessarilly. You'd never be able to serve 21K homes with unlicensed. Often spectrum owners buy national licenses because they want to cheey pick the prime markets, and might not have built out the most rural markets, and never plan to. Thus there is a model for the spectrum to be sub-let to a partner that will buildout the rural network, and actually has an interest to. Most WISPs cant afforf licensed spectrum because they start out serving 200 homes within 21k, not 21k homes. Buying small area licensing actually helps buying licenses more affordably because it allows a smaller dollar sale, more within the realm of what a small provider could secure financially. Often spectrum is valued by an equivellent method, such as # of homes served, thus a small area license would cost the same as a large area license from a "per person" cost. With that said, I have no idea what kind of spectrum might or might not be available in your area. Tom DeReggi RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband ----- Original Message ----- From: Troy Settle To: 'WISPA General List' Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 1:23 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] Licensed PTMP Any frequency really, I'm just curious as to what's available and how much it costs (licensing and equipment). From what I've read, FCC auctions go for millions per license. way out of reach for us. I understand that there are some shared frequencies that are available for PTP links (6,11,18,22,whatever), but are these any good for PTMP? Mostly, I'm trying to get the information I need to get my bosses to lay off the idea of using licensed frequencies for the last mile. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jack Unger Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 1:04 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] Licensed PTMP What frequency? On 8/30/2011 9:57 AM, Troy Settle wrote: My bosses keep asking me about licensed PTMP systems. With licensed PTP systems running into thousands of dollars, I'm not sure I want to see the price tag of a PTMP system, but I have to do as the bosses say. Any help out there? Thank you, -- Troy Settle, Network Administrator The Wired Road Authority 1117 E. Stuart Dr. Galax, VA 24333 (276) 238-0049 (office) (276) 237-3890 (cell) [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------WISPA Wants You! Join today!http://signup.wispa.org/-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe:http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- Jack Unger - President, Ask-Wi.Com, Inc.Author (2003) - "Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks"Serving the WISP, Networking and Telecom Communities since 1993www.ask-wi.com 818-227-4220 [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
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