redline communications

Muni-WiFi player Azulstar shifts gears to WiMAX

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

Muni-WiFi vendor Azulstar said it plans to upgrade all of its existing muni-WiFi networks with WiMAX. Using equipment from Airspan Networks and Redline Communications, Azulstar will roll out WiMAX across 15 cities in the Midwest and Southwest, including the nation's first muni-WiFi market Grand Haven, Mich., which will be the first market to upgrade. The vendor is using licensed 3.6 GHz spectrum.

The WiMAX network is in final stages of testing in Grand Haven and first customers are being connected. The network will overlay the existing unlicensed WiFi mesh networks, which will continue to operate supporting visitors and residential customers as long as there is demand. Legacy WiFi customers wanting to move to WiMAX will receive a discount toward their adapter.

Azulstar, which cites WiMAX as having better economics, performance and reliability, said it will continue its strategy of owning and operating municipal wireless networks in regions where it can also deploy licensed-spectrum WiMAX. In existing Azulstar projects where WiFi technology is the only viable option due to spectrum limitations, Azulstar has migrated to a subcontractor role, assisting the municipalities and partners achieve their goals, but no longer acting as the network owner.

To find out more about Azulstar's WiMAX plans:
- check out this release

Related articles:
- Silicon Valley Network faces another setback Report
- Consortium wins Sacramento WiFi network build Report

ALSO NOTED: Telecom Italia launches HSUPA; Alcatel-Lucent, LG complete LTE test calls; and much more...

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:51 -0500

> Telecom Italia has launched HSUPA across southern Italy using equipment from Huawei. Article

> Amid Earthlink's struggles, the Philadelphia muni-WiFi network is struggling too. Article

> Alcatel-Lucent and LG Electronics announced the two have completed Long Term Evolution (LTE) test calls using Alcatel-Lucent's LTE solution and mobile device prototypes from LG. Article

> Redline Communications said it received FCC approval of its RedMAX WiMAX base station that works in the 2.65 GHz band. Article

And Finally... Glenn Fleishman at Wi-Fi Net News notes that Verizon Wireless' terms of service for its high-speed data offerings have loosened in light of the class action lawsuit the company settled in New York. Article

Report: Cisco to buy WiMAX infrastructure player

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Unstrung reports Cisco is close to purchasing a WiMAX infrastructure company. The news doesn't come as a surprise as the market heats up and a number of large companies, such as IBM, enter the space and Cisco is the dominant 802.11 vendor in the enterprise world. According to the report, potential Cisco targets include Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Navini Networks and Redline Communications. Cisco already has had some involvement with Redline in deploying a WiMax network in Paraguay so it could be a front runner.

For more about Cisco's interest in WiMAX:
- read this article from Unstrung

ALSO NOTED: Nokia releases another UMA phone; WiMAX World announcement round-up; and much more...

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> Nokia launches 6301 UMA phone. Article

> Navini Networks announced its mobile WiMAX device portfolio, named Surfer. Article

> Cedar Point, a VOIP specialist that historically has catered to cable, has added WiMax capabilities to its Safari C3 Multimedia Switching System. Article

> Airspan Networks announced its next generation personal Mobile WiMAX client device family called MiMAX. Release

> Redline Communications announced the North American debut of its RedMAX 4C Mobile WiMAX platform. Article

> Digicel plans to deploy a mobile WiMax network in the Cayman Islands using equipment from Alvarion. Article

> Aircom International selected WiMAX 20|20 LLC 's WiROI business case tool to further enhance its WiMAX market offerings. Release

And Finally... Computerworld lists 15 things Apple should fix in iPhone 2.0. Article

ALSO NOTED: Redline and Siemens announce WiMAX interoperability testing; Qualcomm launches Wireless Reach initiative in Sri Lan

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> Redline Communications and Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices announced interoperability testing between their WiMAX Forum certified products. Article

> Scientists at the Georgia Tech Electronic Design Center say the 60-GHz band could one day be capable of transferring large data files over short distances. Article

> Burton Group released a broadband wireless research report comparing 802.11n to Gigabit Ethernet and predicts 802.11n wireless technology will start eroding the wired Ethernet market within the next 24 to 36 months. Article

> Qualcomm announced the launch of its Wireless Reach initiative in Sri Lanka through the opening of a Last Mile Initiative Center in Wennappuwa. Release

And Finally... MIMO is going underwater. Article

ALSO NOTED: Intel's labs develop enhanced WiFi system; FCC gives Redline approval for license-exempt band; and much more...

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:01:31 -0400

> Researchers from Intel's labs have developed a system with enhanced software that allows WiFi signals to travel more than 60 miles. Article

> Tango Networks introduced its Tango Abrazo, a fixed-mobile convergence solution that ties mobile phones with office telephone systems. Article

> The FCC granted approval to wireless vendor Redline Communications to sell a broadband solution that uses the license-exempt 5.4-GHz spectrum. Article

> Cheetah Wireless Technologies and BelAir Networks launched a WiFi mesh network on the Vegas strip. Release

> Sipera Systems announced new functionality for the Sipera IPCS 520 including a security policy framework, intrusion detection and prevention functionality and troubleshooting features. Release

Mex. offers concession-free access to WiMAX

Tue, 02 May 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Is there such a thing as a free lunch after all? The authorities in Mexico decided to open up frequency bands for wireless technologies without the need for a concession license. Analysts have generally welcomed the move and say it should help define future WiMAX spectrum use parameters. In March, Mexico telecom regulator Cofetel published regulations which will monitor the use of certain frequency bands for wireless technologies such as WiMAX and WiFi. Authorities agreed that spectrum in the 900bMHz, 2.0bGHz, and 5GHz bands would be freely available, while the 3.6GHz to 3.7GHz bands would be reserved for concessionaires.

The analysts note, however, that there is a need for more clarifications before the likely impact on WiMAX use can be assessed, especially since concession-free access to spectrum may well mean that the zone will be flooded, leading to serious interference problems. Thus, José Otero, president of Signals Consulting, says the communications ministry SCT has not made it clear how they were going to account for interference and how many operators can function in a particular geographical area offering what service. "They didn't make it clear how many operators will use the frequency. Will it be 100 or 20," Otero told BNamericas. Enrique Melrose, analyst with Javier Lozano y Asociados group and a former Cofetel technical adviser, said that even in the U.S. there is still no agreement on how many operators can share the same frequency. "Some say that with more than five or six operators problems start to arise, others say that interference occurs after 10. It depends a lot on the characteristics of the equipment and the sensitivity of the receivers," he said.

Canadian wireless broadband equipment supplier Redline Communications is more sanguine on the Mexican decision. Redline's VP Michael Ansley met with the regulator in February and said that Cofetel was perfectly aware of the global standardization process for WiMAX equipment and the procedures for channeling spectrum, as stipulated by the WiMAX Forum. "Cofetel was very aware of what is going on in the world and the standardization process. They were really working for the right balance for regional development in the country by offering both national licenses and regional licenses," Ansley said. Because Cofetel is aware that there is always a greater risk of interference in an unlicensed band, the regulator will leave only the 5.8 GHz band unlicensed to encourage local ISPs to set up and offer service to rural communities.

Roberto Martínez, government relations director in Mexico for Intel, believes the unlicensed bands probably will be used for pilot projects for public or government services in areas of low geographical density. The licensed bands promise a lot more from a technological perspective as they have greater potential for efficient spectrum use. "It's like the difference between a private toll highway and a publicly-maintained secondary road," Martínez said.

For more on Cofetel's decision:
- see this Cellular News report

ALSO: Mobile Metrics will soon make available an advanced traffic simulation system designed for testing WiMAX in the Access Service Network (ASN) and the Connectivity Service Network (CSN). Mobile Metrics has other products in this line, but the Torrent 7100 WiMAX Test System will focus exclusively on WiMAX. The Torrent 7100 simulates a variety of protocols such as HTTP, WAP, MMS, PTT, SIP, RTCP, RTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, ICMP and DNS. It allows equipment manufacturers and operators to run suites of parallel, realistic traffic profiles which can programmatically interact with the system under test through telnet or ssh. For example, test cases can automatically monitor the system under test for memory leaks or error logs. Site