37 / 136
Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Master Plan - Town of Morrisville, NC – Adopted July 23, 2013
A-10
According to data from SNL Kagan, the federal penetration rates of subscribers with
wireless telephone service for the United States indicate a level of around eighty-four
percent (84%) and it is predicted to be at one hundred percent (100%) by the end of 2013.
This does not mean that every person will have a cell phone; rather, many people will
have more than one phone creating the effect of one cell phone per person.
Thus, subscriber density for 3G and 4G is what controls the separation distance between
base stations. The existing network design, based on local wireless penetration rates and
usage, has each site facilitating the use of between 1750 and 2500 separate devices. As
wireless devices increase in number
and
usage (particularly more intensive bandwidth
usage like e-mail, Facebook, and mobile TV), each site will need to
decrease
its
geographic area and serve a smaller number of subscribers in order to avoid overloading
its systems.
Wireless broadband
Wireless broadband is analogous to the communications of voice via wireless phones but
for the transmission of high-speed wireless data along with standard voice
communications. Wireless broadband is the transfer of data (wireless broadband) via
radio waves between computers, hand held wireless phones and other wireless devices.
First generation wireless deployments launched the analog hand held phones operating in
the 800 MHz frequencies. Second generation wireless deployments launched the digital
wireless voice network in the 800 and 1900 MHz frequencies. Third and fourth
generation wireless deployments add the capability of wireless data networks, now
including the 700 and 2400 MHz frequencies, although many service providers are using
their designated voice channels for broadband.
Traditional service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint/Nextel have added
wireless broadband to their platforms. Newer wireless handsets (smartphones) can
communicate via voice (phone) and access the wireless broadband (internet).
Additionally there are service providers such as Clearwire and other smaller regional
services whose business plan is to provide wireless data/internet (broadband) (but not
traditional voice service) to its subscriber base as an alternative to local cable and dial up
internet service providers.
The infrastructure for wireless broadband is similar to that in use for wireless phones; i.e.
an elevated antenna with a base station for each service provider. The service area can be
reduced in order to maintain an acceptable download speed resulting in the need for more
wireless infrastructure. For example, during maximum usage periods in order to cover a
geographic area of approximately five square miles the following would be anticipated:
§
1G – Analog - 1 cell site
§
2G – Cell phone - Digital TDM – 6 cell sites
§
3G – Smartphone - Digital CDMA – 14 sites
§
4G – Universal personal communicator device - Digital CFDM or LTE - 36 sites