CARLSON WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES: A Decade of Wireless Innovation
Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc. (CWT) was founded by James R. Carlson in 1999. Carlson, who serves as CEO and chief technologist at CWT, previously founded Carlson Communications, Inc., a successful maker of analog wireless telephone systems since 1990 under the OptaPhone brand name.
In 1997 Carlson sold his interest in his original wireless company and started working with his design team on a new all-digital wireless CDMA spread-spectrum technology base. In February 1999, CWT was formed to complete the initial development of the new technology, and to manufacture and market the resulting products.
An Industry First: Wireline-Quality Data Speeds in a Rural Wireless System
The first product based on Carlson's technological breakthroughs was a fixed, point-to-point, dual-line system named the i-WLL Internet-Ready, All-Digital Remote Telephone Link. The original i-WLL was released in the fourth quarter of 1999.
The i-WLL name was based on the industry acronym for "wireless local loop" -- WLL -- with the added functionality that only CWT offered: full Internet connectivity at wireline dial-up modem rates.
Trailblazer Launched Mid-2000
After a design upgrade in the spring of 2000, the i-WLL re-entered production in June 2000, and was officially renamed the Trailblazer in August 2000. The new design incorporated a smaller, lighter, weatherproof housing, plus significant performance enhancements, additional features and a reduced price.
4th generation Trailblazer Models Released Early 2006
A completely redesigned platform was introduced in March 2006. This platform now allows to mix and match POTS, Leased Line and Ethernet data service with capacities of up to 1.024Mbps. It also introduces a new indoor Rackmounted version of the Trailblazer system and a Trailblazer STAR (TB-STAR) version allowing one Base to be able to link with up to 4 Remote CPE units. The new design also incorporates three operating frequency bands: 2.4GHz, 4.9GHz (Public Safety band) and 5.8GHz.
In conjunction with these new features on the Voice and data systems, we have also introduces two data only Trailblazer family members. The Trailblazer Ethernet Bridge (TB-EB) with data capacities of up to 54Mbps, compliant with 802.11b/g (2.4GHz band) and the Trailblazer Ethernet Bridge Max (TB-EB Max) with data capacities of up to 108Mbps operating in the 4.9 to 5.8GHz frequency range.
For more background on the technical development of the Trailblazer, the article "Birth of an Internet-Friendly Radio Telephone" can be downloaded and viewed with Adobe Acrobat.
RuralConnect Point-to-Point Developed
In 2002, the company greatly expanded the capacity of its Fractional T1 line, enabling up to 512 kbps transmission. This allows for up to eight 64 kbps voice lines, or an allocated amount of bandwidth for data with the balance available for voice lines.
The RuralConnect point-to-point also constituted the first stage in the development of CWT's multipoint technology platform.
RuralConnect Multipoint: Price and Performance Breakthrough
After successful trials and beta testing early in 2003, CWT released the RuralConnect Multipoint Telecom System at the end of the year. The RuralConnect, using one base station connected to one-to-four E1 or T1 lines, can serve up to 128 subscribers with 64 kbps of voice and/or data. Bandwidth can also be flexibly allocated to provide broadband data in addition to voice.
The RuralConnect represents the culmination of the company's original design vision: an affordable, reliable, scalable wireless telecom system to serve low-density rural areas with Internet-age capability and performance.
Base Station Pedestal
