Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The study investigated the use of wireless technology as an alternative for the provision of last mile communications to the home, as part of Ofcom’s Wireless Last Mile Investigation.

It asked Plextek to consider whether there is a way forward to offering economic, ubiquitous broadband wireless access, given that previous solutions have had marginal business cases.

The study assessed that future high definition TV services were likely to demand undiluted access to streaming content at 10-15Mb/s, per channel – massively in excess of what today’s ADSL systems can support.

Having ruled out ADSL, the study suggests that upcoming wireless standards show a bias towards small screen mobile content delivery and are not attempting to address the challenge of Broadband 2.0 requirements.

It investigates three fresh approaches to the physical technology – mesh and multihopping systems, UHF/TV band working and hybrid schemes with fibre or Gb/s ‘wireless fibre’. It also considers fresh approaches for licensing including the licence mix, creating a nationally tetherless last mile and ubiquitous access, based on peering approaches.

Plextek concludes that the Broadband 2.0 solution must be based on fibre, which must in future reach further into the access network and potentially all the way to the customer premises.

Fibre can solve the contention issues by increasing back haul capacity and can solve the last mile issue by acting as a point to point solution alone, or as a feeder to DSL distribution technologies - thus effectively reducing the length of DSL lines required.

The study further concludes that wireless has application as a last mile feeder element, using Gb/s wireless as a fibre replacement and within the home e.g. 802.11n. As national coverage of fibre may be below 100 per cent, this also leaves some scope for wireless based broadband systems on today’s ADSL specification, most likely in rural areas.

Plextek recently announced that it would be increasing its staff numbers by more than 10 per cent during Q1 2007 as part of an extensive business expansion. At least 10 new engineering, product design and project management positions have been created, with the company particularly focussed on individuals with strong radio experience. The recruitment drive will help Plextek cope with increasing global demand.

In the last two years Plextek has been increasing business outside its core design consultancy work to increase its global competitiveness. This has included a range of product design services and the launch of its first branded product, the Blighter portable radar for the security market.

Plextek has also been providing contract manufact-uring services for design customers; it can now manage a product through its entire cycle from design to manufacture and supply.

MD Colin Smithers said: “We’re performing very well as a business and have many exciting projects in the pipeline. The contribution from Plextek’s product design and supply projects, and from sales of our Blighter radar units, will soon exceed consultancy revenues.”