A model for the cost analysis of wireless access architectures

Broadband wireless access planned for deployment in the 10- to 42-GHz frequency range and deployable in point-to-multipoint configurations has been gaining acceptance among network operators recently. This paper presents a model that can be used to optimize the cost of wireless access architectures. Cost functions are derived for network nodes and links in which such factors as demographic, traffic, marketing, and systems that impact network cost are variables. These variable factors can then be used to construct a complete characterization of network costs. Cost sensitivity can be analyzed by varying any desired parameters to investigate their impact on network cost, and the results can be used to optimize costs. Each node and link in the network is analyzed independently, and the model developed can then be used by network operators as a cost-modeling tool to analyze network nodes or links. This paper concludes with a case study of the impact of rain availability on the economics of deploying local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) networks.