Flarion Gets A Win In Finland
The Government of Finland issued a national spectrum license at 450MHz to an operator who will use Flash OFDM technology from Flarion. The license was issued to Digita Oy, and will require Digita to operate as a "carrier's carrier", which means they will operate the network, but the network can be resold by other service providers. Using a carrier's carrier model will share the infrastructure costs among participating resellers. Using the 450MHz band ensures a very long range for each base station, when combined with Flarion's good BWA technology should provide a proven mobile and rural broadband solution. The plan is to offer data services at first, but Flarion's technology is know for low latency and excellent handoff characteristics, making it ideal for VoIP. While Flash OFDM technology has been proven in trials, the economics of a commercialized network have not yet been proven. Also, the technology is proprietary, which has been an impediment to carrier acceptance. Once again, as the press and analyst hub-bub continues to swirl around WiMAX, other technologies which are currently available are eating away at the addressable market.
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