How to field a new telecom infrastructure

Let us start with the vision of wireless in the local loop. What is it and how do we get there?

• First: Forget spectrum availability as the problem
• Second: Forget limited bandwidth as the problem
• Third: Forget error rate as the problem

Problem: trade off between available high quality bandwidth and the cost of the infrastructure,
i.e., if cells shrink (thus increasing capacity, available bandwidth, decreasing error rate, ...),
then infrastructure cost increases

• soft or reconfigurable radios - so we make one kind, therefore increase manufacturing volume
• base stations look like mobiles, but with a connection to the wired/fibered/... infrastructure
• it all has to fit on one chip which is made in high volume, i.e., ride the VLSI price-performance curve
• leaverage something you already have (recycling of bandwidth, wires, (content,) ...)
  • attach base stations to LANs
  • attach base stations in place of telephones
  • ...