WiMAX Forum

WiMAX Forum, Berkely announce WiMAX testing products

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:00:46 -0400

The WiMAX Forum and Berkeley Varitronics Systems both announced standardization and testing tools for WiMAX equipment. The WiMAX Forum introduced an open-source system simulator that assists in testing algorithms and technical solutions for applications, networking planning, capacity evaluation and product evaluation. The forum is banking on member companies using the same tools so engineers can make fair tests and publish accurate comparisons in technical papers.

Berkeley announced a WiMAX developer's kit for its YellowFin product series, which includes a calibrated mobile WiMAX receiver and dynamic link library software. Developers can check for interference and analyze packet traffic in spectrum bands ranging from 2.0 GHz to 5.9 GHz using WiFi, WiMAX, ISM, public safety, Bluetooth and others.

For more:
- read Wireless Week

Related story:
WiMAX Forum certifies first mobile WiMAX products. WiMAX Forum story

EC 2.6 GHz decision good for WiMAX

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:06:07 -0400

The WiMAX Forum applauded new regulations handed down by the European Commission pertaining to the 2.6 GHz band, a key frequency for mobile WiMAX in Europe. The new regulations allow regulators to be flexible when it comes to the amount of FDD (paired spectrum) and TDD (unpaired spectrum) bands they can award to operators. The intention is to allow the market to decide which technology to deploy in the 2.6 GHz band.

The decision is important for the WiMAX industry because previous guidelines set in 2005 called for more rigid guidelines that required that two 70-megahertz swathes of spectrum be allocated for FDD and 50 megahertz allocated for the unpaired TDD spectrum, which mobile WiMAX is designed for. That tipped the scale in favor of technologies such as LTE. But now the EC can truly claim it is being technology neutral by not taking a position on how much spectrum can be allocated to either FDD or TDD spectrum.

For more:
- read telecoms.com

Related stories:
Will WiMAX be shut out of U.K. 2.6 GHz auction? WiMAX story
Intel among winners of 2.6 GHz spectrum in Sweden. Swedish WiMAX story

NextWave selling big swathes of spectrum

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Just in time. Last week NextWave announced it enlisted the help of Deutsche Bank and UBS to assist in the sale of its vast U.S. spectrum holdings, which include licenses and lease rights for a total of 4.7 billion MHz/pops of spectrum comprised of 154 AWS licenses in the 1.7/2.1 GHz band, 30 WCS licenses in the 2.3 GHz band, and 39 EBS and BRS licenses and spectrum leases in the 2.5 GHz band.

With the last of the so-called beach front spectrum--the 700 MHz airwaves--being auctioned and swallowed up primarily by AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless, NextWave has received multiple offers for its spectrum assets, NextWave President and CEO Allen Salmasi said.

For sure, NextWave will be able to get top dollar for the spectrum now that the FCC doesn't plan to release anymore spectrum, and there are still a number of companies chomping on the bit to get their hands on spectrum. NextWave's state mission in the past was to make spectrum available to companies that wanted to enter the mobile broadband space and use its products and technologies, including WiMAX and TD-CDMA. Today, NextWave says it no longer needs this spectrum in order to reach its product sales objectives.

NextWave's sale could give WiMAX the bigger U.S. foothold that the technology's proponents were hoping for with the 700 MHz auction. LTE, not WiMAX, emerged as the big technology winner in the 700 MHz band as AT&T and Verizon announced their intentions to deploy the 4G technology in the major swathes of spectrum they won.

While not announced by the WiMAX Forum, sources close to the forum say an FDD profile for the AWS band in the U.S. is imminent as is one for the 2496-2690 MHz band, which is reserved for broadband services in the U.S and in many European countries such as the UK. SpectrumCo, the joint venture formed by Sprint (which withdrew from the consortium in August) and cable heavyweights Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and others, purchased $2.37 billion worth of spectrum in the AWS band last year and has yet to announce its plans for the spectrum. But sources say WiMAX equipment is now being tested for this band. Moreover, speculation is that Comcast might be mulling an entrance into the wireless broadband market as a network operator.--Lynnette

WiMAX could be shut out of U.K. auction

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Speculation is growing that WiMAX players may have a tough time getting spectrum in the U.K.'s upcoming 2.6 GHz spectrum auction. The Office of Communications has allocated a certain amount of spectrum for time division duplex (TDD) and a certain amount of spectrum for frequency division duplex (FDD). WiMAX, of course, uses TDD and LTE uses FDD. Because of this there is concern that U.K. mobile operators will snatch up the TDD spectrum to keep WiMAX from being deployed by a new entrant.

According to Unstrung, the rules outlined by OfCom leave considerable risk of spectrum hoarding. However Ofcom says that the spectrum rules are designed to promote competition because the agency hasn't designated the spectrum for a specific use and there are no rollout obligations.

It wouldn't be surprising if the WiMAX Forum comes out with an announcement saying an FDD version of WiMAX in the 2.6 GHz band is in the works.

For more about :
- see this article from Unstrung

Related articles:
Ofcom to free up 2G spectrum for 3G use. Report on Ofcom
Ofcom to release AWS spectrum Ofcom report

More perspective on mobile WiMAX certification

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Last week the WiMAX Forum announced the first mobile WiMAX products to receive a certified seal of approval. Four base stations and four subscriber units for the 2.3 GHz band were approved from Posdata, Runcom Technologies, Samsung Electronics and Sequans Communications.

But these products only received Wave 1 certification, which doesn't include the features such as MIMO that operators are asking for. WiMAX chip maker Beceem has said the move has little practical benefit since operators want Wave-2 certification, and it saw no point in building Wave 1 products.

"... Due to the misleading statements about the impact of this Wave 1 certification it is important to point out that [this] certification means 'conformance testing', which can not be confused with product performance and interoperability testing, which operators really and only care about," the company said in a statement emailed to FierceBroadbandWireless.

Current Analysis' Peter Jarich, however, had a different perspective on the WiMAX Forum's move. "We are taking a positive stance on the WiMAX Forum's certification of initial mobile WiMAX products," Jarich wrote in a note. "Where operators have been launching 802.16e-based products for a while, certification (and the interoperability it promises) is expected to drive additional interest in the technology along with new network launches and network expansions. And, while the certifications are based on a 2.3 GHz profile (Wave-1) that may have limited global value, they do pave the way for the Wave-2 certifications most WiMAX operators have been eagerly awaiting."

Related articles:
Xanadoo upgrading to mobile WiMAX Report on Xanadoo's WiMAX upgrade
On the Hot Seat with Ron Resnick Report on WiMAX Forum's Ron Resnick

WiMAX Forum certifies first mobile WiMAX products

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

The WiMAX Forum announced the first mobile WiMAX products to receive a certified seal of approval, a critical step the forum says will ensure interoperability between various mobile WiMAX equipment. Four base stations and four subscriber units for the 2.3 GHz band were approved from Posdata, Runcom Technologies, Samsung Electronics and Sequans Communications.

The forum also announced it will introduce certified mobile WiMAX equipment for the 2.5 GHz band during the next few months, which is important to Sprint Nextel as it plans to deploy its network in the band before the end of the year. In all, the forum says it will certify more than 100 products by the end of 2008.

For more about the WiMAX Forum's certification of mobile WiMAX products:
- read this report from Unstrung

Related articles:
- The CTIA news that didn't happen Report on Sprint's WiMAX plans
- On the Hot Seat with WiMAX Forum's Ron Resnick WiMAX Forum report

Motorola intros platform to support both WiMAX, LTE

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

Motorola introduced a common wireless broadband platform capable of supporting both mobile WiMAX access points and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) evolved Node-B. Motorola says the design should reduce operators' deployment and operating costs. With Motorola's flexible modem technology, common platform can support either WiMAX or LTE by being software configurable.

Fred Wright, senior vice president, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, said in a press release: "We're building upon our OFDM expertise and early success in WiMAX 802.16e as we develop our LTE product solutions. We can reuse about 75 percent of the basic application software and platform technology we developed for WiMAX in our LTE products, thereby advancing our development efforts. For example, the new common wireless broadband platform is expected to be commercially deployed in WiMAX networks in 2008, followed by the LTE application available by late 2009, giving us the advantage of deploying LTE technology on a field proven platform."

To find out more about Motorola's new platform:
- check out this article from TMCnet

Related articles:
- On the Hot Seat with WiMAX Forum's Ron Resnick Report
- Vodafone CEO: WiMAX has a home in LTE Report

ALSO NOTED: WiMAX Forum forecasts 113M subs by 2012; Airvana, Alcatel-Lucent demo EV-DO femtocell ; and much more...

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:51 -0400

> The WiMAX Forum today released its projections for global WiMAX subscribers. The forum estimates more than 133 million WiMAX subscribers by 2012. The organization commissioned an independent research study that will be published next month. Release

> A new report from Infonetics indicates sales of mobile data cards could nearly quadruple between last year and 2011 to reach $2.9 billion. Article

> Airvana and Alcatel-Lucent today announced they will jointly demonstrate an end-to-end 3G CDMA/EV-DO femtocell solution, supporting voice and mobile high-speed data services, at the CTIA Wireless 2008 tradeshow and exhibition. Release

And Finally... Behold, a leather-covered iPhone. Article

FEATURE: On the Hot Seat with the WiMAX Forum's Ron Resnick

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, has a lot to be happy about as mobile WiMAX enters 2008 poised for some massive rollouts. I recently spoke with Mr. Resnick about what's in store for the technology, including the debate between WiMAX and LTE, how operators can make money and work being done on global roaming. -Lynnette

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are you expecting at the CTIA show this year in terms of the apparent debate between WiMAX and LTE?

Resnick: Let's take a step back and look at last year when Vodafone challenged the [GSM ] membership to be prepared for WiMAX. This year in Barcelona, CEO Arun Sarin proposed some sort of convergence between the two, and he's giving a keynote at CTIA. Bottom line is that in one year, WiMAX has become a formidable player in the ecosystem and is now recognized by world's largest operators. It's not just a technology. There is a presence now. We are seeing at least 260 deployments in 110 countries. The view I'd say that I have is that WiMAX has happened and LTE is still two to three years out. It's so difficult to create metrics when one is just launching and the other is in the future.

Click here to read the rest of the interview...

Will cable MSOs come to the rescue of Sprint/Clearwire?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

How many times have we heard that cable companies are interested in broadband wireless, particularly WiMAX? But we never heard more than just vague speculation with no names. Now several publications reported this week that cable TV players Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks may invest in a WiMAX network joint venture being discussed by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire. That joint venture, of course, would represent the resurrection of a previous Sprint-Clearwire joint venture that ended after a few short months last year.

This may just be the opportunity cable operators can sink their teeth into given the fact that such a deal would represent a relatively modest investment vs. building their own capital-intensive networks--something investors aren't so keen about given the fact that wireless isn't a core business. The cable companies are reportedly in talks to invest as much as $1.6 billion.

Interestingly, Cox Communications won 14 A-Block licenses and eight B-Block licenses totaling about $304 million in the recent 700 MHz auction, but it's also a private company that doesn't have to answer to shareholders. Moreover, Cox, Time Warner Cable and Bright House's parent Advance/Newhouse make up SpectrumCo, the cable consortium that won licenses in the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum in 2006. We haven't heard a word on what the consortium's plans are for the spectrum, which they paid $2.37 billion for, but the WiMAX Forum reportedly is working on creating an FDD WiMAX profile for the AWS band.

When it comes to wireless, it seems to be a confusing time for the cable industry, which has witnessed failed wireless forays from other companies whose core business isn't wireless. (Earthlink, for instance). And Pivot--the much-hailed $200 million joint venture between Sprint and cable companies Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Brighthouse Networks--appears to be in trouble. The JV had aspirations to offer consumers the elusive quad-play by providing them with a combination of wireless, fixed, video and Internet services from one provider with one bill. But expansion of the service was stopped last November.

Still, the wireless spectrum cable operators do own could offer strategic complementary services such as TV delivery and total wireless/wireline broadband packages not to mention quadruple play services.

Cable operators just need to figure out how much control they want. An investment in Clearwire/Sprint would give them a wireless play they seek with less risk but also less say over services. They could develop a co-branded mobile Internet portal that will allows users to access email, search the Web and chat over the wireless broadband WiMAX connection or come to some sort of MVNO agreement.--Lynnette

P.S. Join me today as I lead a discussion about fixed mobile convergence between Kevin Kvarda, manager of engineering at T-Mobile USA and representatives from ABI Research, PicoChip, Kineto Wireless and NextPoint. Register for this free webinar taking place today at 2 PM EST and learn more about T-Mobile USA's Hotspot@Home service, as well as other ways carriers can tackle the fixed mobile convergence trend. Webinar Registration