T-Mobile has come to the realization that copper-based T1 circuits just won't cut it for its wireline backhaul circuits as it upgrades more pieces of its wireless network with High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) capabilities.
But this new service won't be hitting the shelves until it updates its backhaul network capacity.
"That's really the gating factor, not the availability of radios," said Neville Ray in a Light Reading Mobile article, adding that the operator started upgrading its backhaul capabilities in some markets such as Philadelphia two years ago.
But T-Mobile's drive will also have implications for existing incumbent wholesale operators and emerging alternative players who are all happy to sell any wireless operator backhaul capacity. Instead of laying its own fiber to every cell site in its proposed network build out, T-Mobile will work with "independent providers" to get either fiber or microwave-based backhaul solutions.
For more:
- Light Reading Mobile has this article
Related articles
Wireless backhaul - A wholesale provider bonanza
Cyan's CyAlliance targets diverse wireless backhaul needs
Cable's cashing in on wireless backhaul
FierceTelecom 2010 Prediction: Wholesale wireless backhaul demand will rise
Zayo Bandwidth flexes its wireless backhaul muscles