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| Kobe Steel installs first 18GHz wireless access system for areas without broadband channels |
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February 4, 2005
Kobe Steel, Ltd. has installed an 18GHz broadband
wireless access system in Minami-Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan.
The system provides a high-speed data communication infrastructure to areas
that do not have broadband channels.
Called Air-Through 18G, the system is being used for wireless access across
the sea separating Nada and Nushima, which constitutes a part of Minami-Awaji's
public network, a distance of 4.1 kilometers. A large volume of data can
be transmitted at high speed, using high-frequency radio waves allocated
for public use. This is the first case to introduce an 18GHz broadband wireless
access system in the Kinki area of western Japan.
Kobe Steel developed the system to help solve digital divide problems in
remote areas, such as islands and mountains. The digital divide is an issue
in the e-Japan Strategy, a Japanese governmental initiative launched in
2001. The plan was established to improve and promote IT infrastructure.
The new system makes possible the quick and low-cost installation of local
broadband infrastructure in areas where geographical constraints impede
fixed-line Internet services using optical fiber, ADSL and CATV. Air-Through
18G also uses commercially available wireless LAN modems, which are easier
to set up and use than conventional 18GHz wireless systems that require
proprietary modems.
Based on this system, Kobe Steel plans to develop and offer local public
networks and wireless systems for disaster prevention and video monitoring
to local governments, government ministries, and agencies. The wireless
access system is being marketed only in Japan.
A portable device, Air Through 18G-M, has also been commercialized. Kobe
Steel will make proposals in Japan to utilize this device for disaster contingency
planning.
Outdoor units of the 18GHz wireless access system
in Minami-Awaji: Nushima at left and Nada at right
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