Metropolitan wide area network

• US 6,757,268 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rafael Realty Holdings, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Winstar Corporation
• Inventors: Zendle, Allan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/120,150
• Time in Patent Office: 2,170 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/312, 370/315, 370/319, 370/325, 370/339, 370/395.51, 370/396, 370/401, 370/468, 370/487, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/405, 370/406, 370/337, 370/338, 455/3.1, 455/5.1, 455/422, 455/16, 455/17, 455/3.01, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 375/211, 375/219, 375/220, 375/212
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

A wide area communication network includes at least two hub sites which are interconnected by a communication backbone Each hub site provides millimeter microwave wireless coverage in at least one sector. At least two remote sites reside in each sector and are coupled to a corresponding hub site via a point to multi point broadband millimeter microwave wireless system. The network preferably includes at least one service node which is accessible to the remote sites via the hub sites and backbone.

Claims

1. A broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network providing fixed millimeter microwave band wireless local access comprising:

a plurality of subscribers, said plurality of subscribers including a subscriber radio unit, said subscriber radio unit operating on a millimeter microwave frequency corresponding to a cell sector in which said plurality of subscribers reside, at least one of said plurality of subscribers having a plurality of associated customer premise equipment and including means for performing statistical multiplexing among said customer premise equipment and said subscriber radio unit;

a plurality hub sites, said hub sites being interconnected by a Sonet based back bone;

said hub sites including a plurality of hub site radio units, said hub site radio units operating on a selectable frequency with at least one of said subscriber radio unit, said plurality of hub sites including means for dynamically allocating communication bandwidth among said plurality of subscribers within each said cell sector;

a plurality of value added service nodes, said plurality of value added service nodes being coupled to said Sonet based back bone, said plurality of subscribers accessing said plurality of value added service nodes through said plurality of hub sites and said Sonet based back bone; and

a central operations node, said central operations node being connected to each of said plurality of hub sites by a control network and providing remote control of said plurality of hub sites and remote control of said subscriber access to said plurality of value added service nodes.

2. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of value added service nodes include at least one of an Internet service node service, a long distance telephony service node, a local telephony service node, and a video service node.

3. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said plurality of subscribers comprise:

an outdoor unit, said outdoor unit including a radio transceiver operatively coupled to an antenna;

a plurality of indoor units, said indoor units being operatively coupled to plurality of associated customer premises equipment; and

an interfacility link, said interfacility link coupling said outdoor unit to said plurality of indoor units, whereby said radio transceiver supports said plurality of associated customer premises equipment.

4. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of indoor units further comprise:

a chassis, said chassis having receiving means for receiving a plurality of line cards; and

a line card received by said receiving means, said line card providing a service specific interface between said chassis and at least one of said associated customer premises equipment.

5. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 4, wherein said interfacility link is a fiber link.

6. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 3, wherein said at least one of said plurality of subscribers is located at a multi story dwelling and at least one of said plurality of indoor units is installed at a plurality officers of the multi story dwelling.

7. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of subscribers is an integrated subscriber unit providing a selected service to said associated customer premise equipment.

8. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of hub radio units at each of said plurality of hub sites comprise:

a first sector radio unit operating on a first selectable millimeter microwave frequency and providing coverage in a first cell sector;

a second sector radio unit operating on a second selectable millimeter microwave frequency and providing coverage in a second cell sector, said second cell sector being substantially adjacent to said first cell sector; and

means for frequency selecting said first selectable frequency and said second selectable frequency from a plurality of available frequencies such that said first and second selectable frequencies are substantially separated thereby minimizing co-channel interference.

9. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of hub radio units further comprise at least a third radio unit operating on a third selectable millimeter microwave frequency, said third radio unit providing further coverage in one of said first and second sectors, said means for frequency selecting further selecting said third selectable.

10. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 8, wherein each said hub site covers a plurality of adjacent and non-adjacent sectors and wherein said means for frequency selecting reuses said available frequencies on said non-adjacent sectors.

11. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein said Sonet based back bone, said plurality of subscriber radio units, and said plurality of hub radio units each support a packet based data transfer protocol.

12. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 11, wherein said packet based transfer protocol is Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

13. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 11, wherein said packet based transfer protocol for hub to backbone communication includes both Asynchronous Transfer Mode and Synchronous Transfer Mode.

14. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of subscriber radio units and said plurality of hub radio units transfer data on a millimeter microwave frequency channel using high order modulation.

15. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 14, wherein said high order modulation is one of 16 QAM and 64 QAM.

16. The broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network according to claim 12, wherein said central operations node includes means for collecting packet quality and packet volume data related to said subscribers, said data being provided to a billing system.

17. A broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network providing fixed millimeter microwave band wireless local access to subscriber radio units in a plurality of sectors, said network comprising:

a selectable frequency corresponding to each sector in the plurality of sectors;

a hub node providing coverage in each of the plurality of sectors, said hub node each including a hub radio unit operating on said selectable frequency, said hub node each including means for dynamically allocating communication bandwidth among the subscriber radio units within each of the plurality of sectors;

plurality of value added service nodes;

a Sonet based back bone interconnecting said hub nodes and said plurality of value added service nodes such that the subscriber radio units can access said plurality of value added service nodes through said hub sites, and

a central node being interconnected to said hub nodes, said central node providing for remote control of said hub nodes and providing for remote control of access to said plurality of value added service nodes by the subscriber radio units.

18. The network according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of value added service nodes includes a node selected from the group consisting of an Internet service node, a long distance telephony service node, a local telephone service node, a video service node, and any combinations thereof.

19. The network according to claim 17, wherein said hub radio unit comprises:

a first sector radio unit operating on a first selectable millimeter microwave frequency and providing coverage in a first sector and a second sector radio unit operating on a second selectable millimeter microwave frequency and providing coverage in a second sector, said second sector being substantially adjacent to said first sector; and

means for frequency selecting said first selectable frequency and said second selectable frequency from a plurality of available frequencies such that said first and second selectable frequencies are substantially separated thereby minimizing co-channel interference.

20. The network according to claim 17, wherein said Sonet based back bone, and said hub radio units each support a packet based data transfer protocol.

21. The network according to claim 20, wherein said packet based transfer protocol is a protocol selected from the group consisting of Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Synchronous Transfer Mode, and combinations thereof.

22. The network according to claim 17, wherein said selectable frequency is a millimeter microwave frequency channel using high order modulation.

23. The network according to claim 22, wherein said high order modulation is one of 16 QAM and 64 QAM.

24. A broadband local metropolitan area telecommunication network providing fixed millimeter microwave band wireless local access comprising:

a plurality of subscribers each including a subscriber radio unit operating on a millimeter microwave frequency corresponding to a cell sector in which said plurality of subscribers reside;

a plurality hub sites interconnected by a Sonet based back bone, said plurality of hub sites including means for dynamically allocating communication bandwidth among said plurality of subscribers;

a plurality of hub site radio units disposed at each of said plurality hub sites, each of said plurality of hub site radio units operating on a selectable frequency with at least one of said subscriber radio units;

a plurality of value added service nodes coupled to said Sonet based back bone, said plurality of subscribers accessing said plurality of value added service nodes through said plurality of hub sites and said Sonet based back bone; and

a central operations node connected to each of said plurality of hub sites by a control network and providing remote control of said plurality of hub sites and remote control of said subscriber access to said plurality of value added service nodes.