We make a comparative analysis of two proposals for setting up a facilities-based metropolitan network to serve the education and research community in the city of Belem do Para in Brazil, using the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) model of building infrastructure, and benefiting around a dozen research and education institutions. The first alternative is to build a fiber optic network, using Gigabit Ethernet technology. The second one uses a metropolitan wireless network, based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, studying the feasibility of the use of this technology in a context with the particular characteristics of the Amazon region. In both cases, we show that the capital cost for each institution is feasible, and that the total cost in the medium term is lower than the recurrent costs of maintaining the traditional model based on telecommunications provider services.

The necessity of wireless networks already has been felt a long time ago in sight of limitations imposed by the wired networks, mainly related to the increasing necessity of flexibility of the current network projects. In association to this necessity, also is observable a crescent demand for data transmissions that supply the current multimedia applications requirements, just as a larger bandwidth and a greater number of users attended on larger distances. In this context, the wireless metropolitan area networks are one solution that allies the flexibility, common in wireless networks, with the possibility of reaching a greater number of users. This paper investigates the Standard 802.16 and analyses its use for Belém-PA.