WISP WiMAX Triple Play

Many telecommunications strategists speak of the elusive triple play of telecommunications where TV (video), voice, and data are all available from one service provider on one service medium and billed on one monthly, converged bill. At the current time, this is not entirely possible from existing service providers on existing infrastructure. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a video technology that competes favorably with cable and broadcast television.

IPTV: Competing with Cable TV and Satellite TV

The rollout of digital networking infrastructure is opening the door for telcos and operators to offer converged services comprising broadband Internet access and IP-based TV and entertainment. TV (or video) over IP is a broad streaming solution that includes several applications, all of which can be implemented on WiMAX. IPTV is used in the following applications:

• TV (instead of cable TV) to the living room

• Time-shifted TV or personal video recorder (PVR)

• Interactive TV

• TV to the desktop

One of the inhibitors of broadband deployment in recent years has been the lack of broadband applications. This, in turn, resulted in low return on investment in broadband infrastructure. The viability of the broadband business model is becoming much more attractive with the introduction of IPTV services, which are a major revenue engine for telcos and ISPs.

With WiMAX IPTV, WISPs using WiMAX can offer a triple play of voice, video, and data to their subscribers. Customers receive converged services on a single pipe and interface with a single provider for all...