Not quite sure how this is going to shake up the DAS space, but rumor is that AT&T is hiring over 400 people to go after the in-building space. Rumor is also that they selected PowerWave and MobileAccess as the preferred vendors. Kudos to Powerwave for pulling this off. Since Wayport is a part of AT&T, I am just curious how this is going to play with all the recent annoucements of the Cisco Systems and MA collabrative efforts. The question is if this business model does happen; is how much real expertise can AT&T bring to this space versus the seasoned and knowledgeable players (integrators) in this space. However AT&T may look to bundle this under their own financing model. Maybe this will give them better control of off loading from their overburdened macro network? Maybe this allows them to exert tighter control for data and voice devices when they deployed the infrastructure? The bigger picture for folks to consider is the enterprise (market) (healthcare) does not want a single carrier play; they want a neutral host. Single carrier is legacy. That was OK, when the cost of minutes and handsets funded the systems. How will AT&T get Verizon (their big time competitor) to play on their deployed network? Neutral host is as defined to include, "yes Verizon", maybe Sprint, T-Mobile, well they are minor. In fact discussions are under way for a Sprint and T-Mobile merger. From my vantage point, I would want a neutral entity to design, deploy, and manage this space. Then not beholding to anybody. Time will tell how this plays out.
