Navini Networks

Xanadoo to offer prepaid WiMAX

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Cisco customer Xanadoo, a wireless ISP operating in the central and southern U.S., has upgraded its market in Springfield, Ill., to 802.16e and is working to upgrade the rest of its markets that are using technology based on Cisco's proprietary broadband wireless technology. Cisco purchased WiMAX vendor Navini in December.

Xanadoo has spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band and is targeting consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses to compete with DSL and cable offerings. The ISP offers seven different pricing plans beginning at $15 per month with plans to soon launch a prepaid wireless broadband offering. This large number of pricing plans is how Xanadoo is differentiating itself from DSL and cable, which typically only offer two different plans and require bundling of services. "There are niche markets where prepaid appeals to consumers," Marshall Pagon, chairman and CEO of Xanadoo said during an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless.

"There are the credit challenged but lots of professionals and contractors that are out of the office that don't need a contract. The resources they use are web-based. Students as well as military people are also attracted to such offerings." Xanadoo covers about 8 million pops in Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The operator also holds 700 MHz spectrum covering nearly 156 million pops in some major markets.

Related articles:
- Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M Report

Cisco to close on Navini acquisition soon

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

Cisco Systems, which announced in October its intent to acquire WiMAX technology developer Navini for $330 million, should complete the acquisition in a number of days, according to a report from ComputerWorld. Cisco originally aimed to leverage Navini's assets to bring wireless broadband to emerging markets. The deal will still help Cisco target those markets, but executives at the company recently said they may also market to the U.S. WiMAX service providers, like Sprint and Clearwire.

"We'll go where the business is," said Brett Galloway, general manager of wireless networking at Cisco.

For more on the deal:
- read this article from ComputerWorld

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Cisco the king of vendors Report
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Cisco buys WiMAX vendor Navini for $330M

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

The rumor was true. Cisco announced this week an agreement to buy privately held WiMAX equipment maker Navini Networks for a sum of $330 million in cash and options, giving the company instant inroads into the WiMAX market.

Cisco said it expects its entire broadband wireless solutions portfolio, which also includes 802.11-based equipment, will become an integral part of the vendor's Country Transformation and "Digital Inclusion" initiatives that are designed to spur broadband penetration to consumers and business in emerging countries.

"Emerging country service providers are in expansion mode, building out broadband wireless networks and are concerned about deployment costs and the availability of skilled resources," said Brett Galloway, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Networking Business Unit, Cisco. "Around the world broadband wireless networks based upon WiMAX have the potential to add millions of new Internet users who cannot be reached economically using copper or fiber infrastructures. Additionally, WiMAX networks will help drive the transition to open IP-based broadband wireless architectures and accelerate the roll out of new applications and services."

Navini's business fits right in since the company has pursued most of its deals in emerging markets and its base stations operate in several different spectrum frequencies. Check out Navini's commercial 802.16e deals here.

To read more about Cisco's acquisition of Navini:
- check out this report from Unstrung
- take a look at this release

Smart Antenna Alliance formed to address WiMAX

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Navini, Beceem, Fujitsu and Runcom announced the formation of the "Smart Antenna RF Test" Alliance (SMART) which is designed to promote beamforming and beamformed MIMO, technology included in the mobile WiMAX Wave 2 standard.

"The capacity and coverage benefits of combining beamforming with MIMO are very compelling offering up to double the capacity with twice the coverage of non-beamformed systems," said Sai Subramanian, Navini's vice president of product management. "This Alliance ensures broad availability of CPE devices that have full capability of beamforming and beamformed MIMO."

The SMART Alliance plans to publish a system performance baseline for the smart antenna features adopted by the WiMAX Forum for the 802.16e mobile WiMAX standard.

For more about the SMART Alliance:
- read this article from Mobile Broadband News

Rumor: Cisco close to buying Navini

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Unstrung reports Cisco is expected to make its move into the WiMAX arena before the end of the month and that WiMAX vendor Navini is the target. According to ThinkEquity Partners analyst Anton Wahlman says Cisco will pay around $230 million for Navini, a vendor that has raised about $160 million in financing since its birth in 2000.

For more about Cisco's acquisition target:
- read this article from Unstrung

ALSO NOTED: Navini and Fujitsu demonstrate WiMAX multi-vendor interoperability; Alvarion gets WiMAX trial in Argentina; and muc

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> Navini Networks and Fujitsu Microelectronics America said they gave the first demonstration of multi-vendor interoperability using Smart WiMAX technology. Article

> Nokia is planning to bundle software from Devicescape on devices in its E and N series, that will log in automatically to WiFi hotspots. Article

> Argentina's Ertach chose Alvarion for a WiMAX trial. Release

> The ZigBee Alliance approved the ZigBee PRO profile stack. Article

> Ubiquiti said it introduced the world's first 700 MHz WiFi radio. Article

> Huawei joined LTE/SAE trial initiative. Article

> And Finally... A man was arrested in Hawaii for watching a movie on his iPhone while on a plane. 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: London passes New York with most WiFi access points; Security not keeping pace with WiFi deployments; and much more

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> London has passed up New York City as the financial center with the most WiFi access points in the world, according to a new survey from EMC division RSA Security. Article

> Security is not keeping up with WiFi deployments. Article

> Navini Networks said it will develop mobile WiMAX subscriber modems with ASUS, a Taiwanese hardware vendor. Article

> WiMAX chip maker Beceem has chosen Anadigics power amplifiers for its BCS200 chipset reference designs. Release

> Altair Semiconductor, an Israel-based maker of WiMAX chips, said it received $18 million in a second round of funding from four VCs. Article

ALSO NOTED: Helsinki WLAN trial; Portland WiFi; and much more...

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:01:31 -0500

> Helsinki City Transport has begun a WLAN trial on selected buses and trams in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Report

> Glenn Fleishman reports that, in Portland, quibbles mount as WiFi grows in the city.

> Toronto offers free WiFi.

> Visitors and residents will now have access to the Internet from the streets of downtown Hendersonville, NC. Report

> Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe, and Hopling Technologies announced that they will ship their jointly produced Linux-based WiMAX baseband system-on-chip reference kits to ODM customers.

> Max Telecom, Bulgaria's telecommunications operator with licenses for a nationwide WiMAX network, has selected WiMAX 802.16e equipment from Navini Networks. Report

And finally... WiFi passion: "I am liking the 'a truly WiFi-enabled device' idea! I love my Zune, but the crippled WiFi ability is kind of like when your dad adjusts the governor on your go-cart. You know [very] well you can zune zune (err zoom zoom), but you are throttled down for your safety. I would love the ability to stream my external hard drives mp3 content over my wireless router to my Zune while I am on the lawn tractor!!!" Comment

ALSO NOTED: HSDPA launches in Japan; New Intel platform to integrate 802.11n; and much more...

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:01:31 -0400

> TheNEC Corporation supplied HSDPA infrastructure systems to NTT DoCoMo, which had already successfully launched a HSDPA service in Japan on August 31. Report

> Intel last week disclosed details about its next-generation mobile processor platform, including support for 802.11n. The platform will be introduced in the first half of next year and will improve on Intel's Core 2 Duo processor by offering new power saving capabilities in the CPU and a faster front-side bus from 667 to 800 MHz. Report

> See this useful discussion on how to secure WiFi WLANs in the workplace.

> The first testing of WiMAX in Vietnam will take place this month, in the northern province of Lao Cai. Intel, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the Vietnam Data Communication Company (VDC), and the US Agency for International Development will test a base station and 20 hot spots. Report

> Navini Networks used the occasion of the WiMAX Forum Plugfest to demonstrate its 802.16e equipment. Report

> Two New Zealand-based wireless groups--Telecom and Woosh--have joined a fledgling group for owners of WiMAX radio spectrum. Report

> We have seen several fixed wireless broadband technologies come and go. What does the future hold for the fixed version of WiMAX? Report

And finally...You want to spy on what someone is doing in bed at night? No need to call a PI to crawl over hedges, climb up the drain pipe and peek through a window. WiLife is offering a WiFi-enabled spy camera embedded in an alarm clock. Just give the alarm clock as a gift and watch the show. Details

Ghana begins WiMAX deployment

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:01:38 -0400

In 1958, the West African country of Ghana was the first African country to gain independence from Britain, heralding a wave of decolonization on the continent. Ghana is now also leading the way on WiMAX, announcing that Internet Ghana and Navini will install a WiMAX networks in the capital, Accra. The Accra deployment will soon be followed by rollouts in 10 additional cities, with an emphasis on cities that serve as regional commercial hubs.

Maryvonne Tubb, a Navini Networks spokeswoman, noted that Africa is ripe for wireless deployments of all kinds. One reason is the absence of a wired infrastructure. WiMAX, especially in its mobile version, will be of great use in rural, under-served areas. EETimes reports that initially, Internet Ghana offered its service through its satellite earth station at Adabraka and linked to the U.S. through the Verestar Internet backbone. Currently, the ISP is connected through SAT-3/WASC from Accra to Portugal, then connecting by trans-Atlantic cables to Sprint facilities in New York.

For more on Ghana's WiMAX deployment:
- see W. Gardner's EETimes report

BellSouth expands WiMAX coverage

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:01:39 -0400

BellSouth Wireless Broadband Service is expanding its services to several more cities in the Southeast--Melbourne, FL, Chattanooga, TN, Greenville, MS, Charleston, SC and Albany, GA. The company will be using the 2.3 GHz WCS spectrum, which it is already using to offer service in Palatka and DeLand, FL, New Orleans, LA and Gulfport, MS. (note that in Athens, GA, the company is using the 2.5 GHz Broadband Radio Services spectrum).

Mel Levine, BellSouth's director of product development, told News Multichannel that the purpose of the expansion is not to replace but complement the company's wired services. "Even in metro areas, we have spaces where we don't have DSL coverage. And then when we get out to rural areas where we have DSL, but it goes so far out and the economics don't carry it farther," he said. "So what you are seeing is our plan using wireless broadband to push broadband farther out."

BellSouth is already using gear from Navini Networks, and for the new deployment it is considering equipment from Alcatel. As we have noted in a previous report, BellSouth faces a serious problem in that the band it operates in is, in fact, a combination of two bands straddling a slice of spectrum used by satellite radio, among them XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. The FCC is yet to determine acceptable levels of signal in that slice of spectrum, leading not only to spill-over interference but also to vendors not knowing exactly how to design their gear to minimize interference.

For more on BellSouth's WiMAX moves:
- see this in-depth Daily Wireless report
- Karen Brown's detailed News Multichannel report
- and BellSouth's Web site

Navini shows pre-mobile WiMAX in 2.3 GHz

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Navini Networks' debut of the pre-mobile WiMAX Ripwave MX platform in the 2.3 GHz band positions the company as the only vendor to offer commercial deployment of the frequency in the U.S. The frequency is heavily regulated by the FCC due to the proximity of neighboring satellite radio repeaters, including XM satellite radio. These repeaters may also limit the effectiveness of WiMAX due to the shared "S" band. The company is also the only vendor with access to C and D WCS blocks.

For more on Navini 2.3 GHz plans
- see this press release
- and this Daily Wireless report

MORE: Saying that that current macro-cell architectures are insufficient for meeting the demand of emerging wireless broadband systems, OFDMA-gear vendor Adaptix said it was releasing a suite of third-generation WiMAX equipment based on more numerous and more dense micro-cell layouts. Unstrung report

ALSO NOTED: Boingo acquires Concourse Communications; Netgear to ship RangeMax NEXT router; and much more...

Mon, 22 May 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> "Wireless LAN (WLAN) is strongly preferred as the home networking technology of choice for not only experienced home network users wanting to upgrade their equipment, but also those who are planning to set up their first home network," says Joyce Putscher, In-Stat analyst. Report

> Boingo acquires Chicago-based Concourse Communications Group, which provides WiFi services at O'Hare and Midway airports. Report

> Netgear will ship its RangeMax NEXT router, the first wireless-enabled ADSL2-plus router based on the draft 802.11n specification. Report

> Navini Networks has started commercial delivery of its dual-mode WiMAX base station. Release

And Finally... Okay, it is only a few pennies under $200, but this is much better than a few pennies under $600, which is where this Kodak WiFi-equipped camera started. Report

Mobile WiMax arrives in Europe

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Almeria, Cartagena, Alicante, Valencia--four good reasons to go to sunny, enchanting southeastern Spain. For those interested in WiMax deployment, there is now another reason. Spanish operator Codium Networks, an independent integrator specializing in WiMax-driven network solutions, will use Navini Networks equipment to deploy a broadband wireless network in the region. Thousands of subscribers for the alternative telco Voz y Dato will receive service through the new network. Voz y Dato is one of the major alternative service providers in the region and has many years of wireless experience to its name.

The questions WiMax critics raised about WiMax technology have been compellingly answered: The technology is here. The more pressing and important questions have to do with the economics of WiMax network deployment and the operators' path to WiMax profitability. We should pay attention to what is taking place in Spain because the companies involved are very much aware of this. Codium CEO Kiriako Vergos says that making a broadband wireless access network profitable is all about avoiding both the elevated costs of professional subscriber terminal installation and the very slow market penetration rate that such an installation process would typically entail. Vergos says that with Codium's technology and network design formula, the company is finally permitting small to midsized operators such as Voz y Datos to develop their own broadband access infrastructure not only affordably but, more importantly, in a profit-guaranteeing manner.

Navini's Ripwave provides the access technology, and InfiNet Wireless Radio Router P-P Solution supplies the back haul. Jesus Fernandez, Voz y Datos' CEO, says the provider has tried line-of-sight or near line-of-sight BWA systems from different vendors, but now is seeing sales truly take off because the network infrastructure does not put a brake on the sales momentum. Additionally, Voz y Datos' customers are very excited about the fact that they can pick up a subscriber terminal from a local retailer or from the direct sales division and, practically in minutes, have a high-speed broadband connection up and running.

Navini President and CEO Roger Dorf says that as the economics of a Smart Beamforming system are realized, this will be an important step forward for southern Europe and for Voz y Dato and Codium. WiMax 802.16e is moving forward, and Navini's equipment already provides 802.16e-like capabilities, allowing Voz y Datos to continue to drive the market in Spain and making it possible for Codium to strengthen its position in the European market. Dorf is correct to point out that it is finally the reliability of the service that has to be emphasized, not only the ease and speed in which installation can happen. The ease of access may win the sale, but it is the confidence in the service provided that keeps the customer and guarantees long-term growth, Dorf says.

For more on mobile WiMax in Europe:
- see this press release
- see Susan Campbell's TMCnet report

WGRA pushing for WiMax roaming standard

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 20:01:37 -0400

They sure move quickly: The WiMax Global Roaming Alliance (WGRA) was formed only a few weeks ago, and its leading member, RemotePipes, is already pushing for the creation of a system which will make it possible for WiMax users to roam among different WISPs. The WGRA is not a standards-developing organization, but rather a lose fedration of companies interested in developing a consensus around the preferred emerging standard. The organization may offer modifications to these emerging standards, but the emphasis will be on urging a uniform deployment and implementation of the standards.

As Eric Engbers, president of RemotePipes, said, "There is nothing worse than an accepted standard that has been implemented in 15 different flavors throughout the supply chain." Indeed, one impetus behind the formation of WGRA was the experience with the WISPr roaming standard for WiFi: The Wi-Fi Alliance promoted the development of this roaming standard but ran into incompatibility problems. "WISPr has been implemented in at least four or five distinct flavors at this point, and I think that's stood in the way of adoption," said Engbers.

Members of WGRA include Sify, StoneBridge Wireless Broadband, Dockpoint, WiMaxPro.com, Wisper ISP, Airnet Telecom, Telelink Australia, News IQ, RemotePipes, Airpath Wireless, WeRoam, Starhome, Futura Technologies, Aramova, and Minuteman Support Services.

For more on the WGRA:
- see the WGRA website
- RemotePipes website
For more background on the formation of the alliance:
- see Jeff Goldman's wi-fiplanet report

PLUS: Navini Networks has launched its Ripwave-MX product line for 802.16e. The Ripwave-MX dual-mode CPE and PCMCIA will begin shipping at the end of the year. The CPE and the PCMCIA card will be capable of switching between the current pre-WiMax mode and 802.16e mode. Report

ALSO: Siemens is starting a series of wireless broadband trials in Italy from next month, deploying kits based on fixed-wireless 802.16-2004 standard. Report

FINALLY: Alvarion is showing the BreezeMAX Si, a self-installable, indoor WiMax-ready CPE based on the 802.16-2004 standard and using the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface chip. It will be available for customer trials later this year. Release