CRC develops new wireless link technology

The Communications Research Centre (CRC) has developed and demonstrated a wireless ethernet IEEE 802.3X compatible bridge terminal operating in the 5.2/5.8 GHz licence-exempt bands and is available for licensing to original equipment manufacturers. The technology will allow firms to use licence-exempt spectrum to generate as much bandwidth as LMCS using low-cost off-the-shelf DVBS technology and in combination with advanced antenna techniques. The technology could open up a new new market via the licence-exempt spectrum with the capability to provide linkages over six kilometres at data rates of up to 32 megabits per second. A key feature of the new technology is its ability to transmit signals through trees and vegetation in an urban environment, offering considerable advantages over existing line-of-sight technology. Under contract with the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, the CRC installed a high-speed link between an Ottawa-area high school and a multimedia centre equipped with a video source library and servers....