RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs: | 700 MHz?
Not much bandwidth there for a nice high speed internet with multiple users. But then I only operate and repair radios, not make spectrum policy.
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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ricep5
Premium
join:2000-08-07
Jacksonville, FL
 ·AT&T Southeast
 ·AT&T CallVantage
·VoicePulse
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
| But at what price?
If a carrier spends billions to get the spectrum, they have to pass along that cost to someone in the broadband food chain. I don't think the holes they speak of are large enough to get a payback to cover what they spent.
900Mhz is already in the public domain, why can't the "holes" be filled with that instead??
If they are serious in getting a better reach in unserved areas, leave it unlicensed and let the innovators take care of the rest. |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs: |  How long will it take?
How long before cable companies tell subscribers the analog package is no longer available because of this FCC ruling? |
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ditka_b
Premium
join:2001-10-05
Barrington, IL | 2007 |
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griminal
Finally.
join:2001-06-25
Bangor, MI | reply to RayW
Re: 700 MHz?
Better penetration with that frequency. Larger coverage areas for a single POP. |
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cghh
join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA
| reply to JTRockville
Re: How long will it take?
said by JTRockville  :How long before cable companies tell subscribers the analog package is no longer available because of this FCC ruling? Not sure what the ruling has do with cable companies. Only the over-the-air stations are under the digital conversion deadline; the cable companies can put whatever they want on their cable. And, except for some of the lower channels, cables channel frequencies are different from the over-the-air channels anyway, and use frequencies not used for over-the-air TV. Or they could get rid of their analog package today, since they can cram a lot more channels over digital (just like the cellular companies). |
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DaveNJ
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
·Comcast
·Patriot Media
| reply to JTRockville
said by JTRockville :How long before cable companies tell subscribers the analog package is no longer available because of this FCC ruling? Cable will transmit the channels the same they do now. If they choose to go all digital, its there choice. This affect only over the air. Cable can do whatever it chooses on there system.
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the darkest moment is often just before dawn (unless we hold onto the darkness). Anxiety spoils everything and solves nothing. |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| reply to ditka_b
I talked to a CSR for Time Warner the other day in my neighborhood and she told me that TWC Mid-Ohio has a policy that was just approved in a meeting in Columbus, OH that within the the next few months that all customers will be required to have a digital box; the will start handing them out in the next couple weeks, along with slowly giving them out to current customers. |
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RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs:
·XMission
| reply to griminal
Re: 700 MHz?
said by griminal :Better penetration with that frequency. Larger coverage areas for a single POP. We have been getting some good building penetration in the GHz range with smaller antennas, better bandwidth, less power. But penetration and range are not an issue (note: FIXED providers are referenced in the article, not mobile), you can install outside antennas in most areas and you would probably want a directional antennas of some sort to maximize your ability to make smaller cells that do not waste your bandwidth on a few users over a large area.
Problem is, most of the spectrum is more or less taken/divvied up/spoken for up through 300 GHz even though there are some likely looking spots above 100 GHz (good luck getting cheap equipment though). And considering the way they 'sell' the spectrum, will it even be cost effective?
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD | reply to cghh
Re: How long will it take?
when the over the air broadcasters give up that spectrum, there won't be an analog source - that's the whole idea, no more analog.
So, unless cablecos convert digital to analog, there shouldn't be analog channels any more. |
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amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| reply to JTRockville
they've got to be itching to do it.
I, for one, am NOT looking forward to having no more analog on cable. Unless they want to give me a (well, 4) GOOD digital box(es) (the old Moto's around here aren't that great...) that changes channels smoothly, doesn't flake out every other day, I might consider it. Some of the older Moto's here flicker a tube screen pretty wildly when changing channels. Not to mention I can't stand the delay. ...DVR's seem to be smoother...
Either way, cable will probably keep some analog around for a few more years and start slowly handing out their old clunky Moto's to people. |
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Kylemaul
Lovin' My Firefox 1.5.x
Premium
join:2001-03-30
North Port, FL
clubs:
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Lowest price for (basic) cable will be?
Just wondering what it's going to cost me in taxes to subsidize those that were able to use Over-The-Air broadcasting before this FCC ruling. (I'm also predicting whiny cable lobbying for subsidized digital to analog converters). Also, are there any hard figures as to how many people still use only OTA broadcasts? |
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AnonDOG
@208.66.x.x
| reply to JTRockville
Re: How long will it take?
quote:
How long before cable companies tell subscribers the analog package is no longer available because of this FCC ruling?
What?  |
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AnonDOG
@208.66.x.x
| reply to RayW
Re: 700 MHz?
quote:
Not much bandwidth there for a nice high speed internet with multiple users. But then I only operate and repair radios, not make spectrum policy.
An analog TV channel is six MHz wide, isn't it?
Motorola Canopy puts 3 channels between 902 and 928 MHz which are each capable of 3.4x1.2 asymetric. That would be 2.3x2.3 symetric. These channels are each the width of a single TV channel.
I should also say that there are more sophisticated modulation schemes.
It isn't a lot of spectrum but they also suggest that "smart" radios that can avoid channels which are in use will be provided.
We deliver using 900 MHz ISM. 700 will not give us a significantly enhanced capability because there is not that much difference between absorbtion at 700 and at 900; however, it is a move in the right direction. |
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jervin123
join:2005-04-14
Philadelphia, PA | reply to griminal
The way I feel about that in large city is higher frequency = More capacity per mile or Square mile. If I was an RF engineer in a place like NYC I would choose 1900 over 850 for capacity sakes. |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to hottboiinnc
Re: How long will it take?
said by hottboiinnc :I talked to a CSR for Time Warner the other day in my neighborhood and she told me that TWC Mid-Ohio has a policy that was just approved in a meeting in Columbus, OH that within the the next few months that all customers will be required to have a digital box; the will start handing them out in the next couple weeks, along with slowly giving them out to current customers. Ooooooooooh just think of all those juicy profits generated by forcing everyone to have a cable box with all those juicy FEES!
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between the gateway and box fees thats an extra ~$10/month per sub(only those that didn't have to have a box), knowing time warner they'll put some sort of compliance fee in there too.
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | no compliance charge they'll just charge extra for the remote LOL |
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PDXPLT
join:2003-12-04
Banks, OR
| reply to RayW
Re: 700 MHz?
said by RayW :Not much bandwidth there for a nice high speed internet with multiple users. yes there is, like about 300 MHz worth.
Only thibg is, now it is called "TV channels", and unavailable for use, even though few people get their TV exclusively over the air anymore, there are unused channels in most locations, and in rural areas (where new broadband sources are needed the most), almost all that spectrum is unused.
This is a huge deal for rural broadband. It could be the big break that BPL was never going to be. In many rural areas, WISPs just don't cut it at 2.4 and GHz - trees and hills kill connectivity. 900 MHz had good propagation, but there's only a tiny sliver available there. |
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PDXPLT
join:2003-12-04
Banks, OR
| reply to Kylemaul
Re: Lowest price for (basic) cable will be?
said by Kylemaul :Also, are there any hard figures as to how many people still use only OTA broadcasts? There was a Nielsen study in the past year or so. Well under 10%, most low income, and (interestingly) high Latino portion.
Alot of people have said, only half-jokingly, it made alot of sense to just give this small group of folks free satellite service (like the FTA satellite in other countries), and put this very favorable spectrum to some other, better, use (lie WISP broadband, that's problematic on satellite due to latency, etc.). |
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