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The Future of WiMAX – Has LTE Won?

Moshe Lehmann on February 3, 2011 | 11 comments

It looks like WiMAX’s chances of survival in the US are growing ever-slimmer. FierceWireless posted an article, recently, on Time Warner’s cool assessment of Clearwire; according to the article, Time Warner execs said their experience with the WiMAX company was “not very impressive and pretty inconclusive.” Time Warner has a slim 15,000 4G subscribers.

Time Warner is one of several companies invested in Clearwire, a conglomerate owned primarily by Sprint Nextel, with a 54 percent stake in the company. Clearwire is on unsteady financial ground and still seeks funding to complete the rollout of its WiMAX network. Clearwire is WiMAX’s largest proponent in the US and if it collapses, WiMAX in the US might go with it.

The other major US telecoms have chosen LTE to move into the 4G realm. Verizon is avidly pushing their LTE network and AT&T relies on both LTE and HSPA+, the psuedo-4G. Even T-Mobile, who has forever been presenting their HSPA+ as 4G technology, announced recently that they’re hoping to build an LTE network in the coming years. In fact, there’s been talk of T-Mobile purchasing spectrum space from the struggling Clearwire, one of the WiMAX company’s plans to raise capital.

Three out of four of the major US carriers have chosen LTE and the one WiMAX holdout is shaky at best. Around the world, LTE is also burgeoning. China has allowed companies to test TD-LTE over the next eighteen months and Russia is working hard at bringing LTE into the country. It’s possible that the measures are beginning to slide ever so slightly. WiMAX may have gotten there first, but it seems that slow and steady will win this race.… Read the rest

Clearwire’s Spectrum Auction Slows

Moshe Lehmann on January 21, 2011 | 4 comments

According to unnamed sources, many of the potential suitors for Clearwire’s WiMAX spectrum have lost interest in the sale, generating new worries for the already-troubled company. Clearwire, majority owned by Sprint Nextel, is strapped for cash and needs funding to complete their 4G WiMAX network. The company borrowed enough money to keep it functioning for about a year, some 1.3 billion dollars, but they’re hoping a sale of wireless spectrum could bring in up to 2 billion dollars more, giving Clearwire a strong foundation to move forward.

The main, and some say only, prospect now is T-Mobile USA. T-Mobile execs announced yesterday that they’re looking to build a true 4G network down the road, most likely LTE, but need spectrum-space to work with. With few bands still available, T-Mobile hopes to partner up with another company to build their network. Although Clearwire has a WiMAX network, it’s capable of supporting both 4G technologies simultaneously. Sources say that T-Mobile is also looking into buying spectrum on LightSquared’s network but Clearwire is the frontrunner at the moment.

Clearwire and Sprint are the biggest proponents of WiMAX technology in the US. The other two top carriers, Verizon and AT&T, are rolling out LTE networks this year and T-Mobile just announce an interest in building a LTE network in the next several years. If Clearwire fails to negotiate this tight spot, it might spell the end of the WiMAX – LTE battle, at least in the US, and some fear it could mean lights out for Sprint Nextel as well.… Read the rest

Samsung: “Something Big is Coming”

Moshe Lehmann on January 19, 2011 | 1 comment

That’s right! Samsung sent out an exciting save-the-date, ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, coming up in February. They’re planning on making a dramatic announcement, possibly introducing the newest line of Galaxy S products, February 13, at MWC. Displayed on www.samsungunpacked.com, a mysteriously fuzzy doodle carries the words “evolution is fate,” adjoining a pic from last year’s release of the Galaxy S smartphone.

The big February 13 announcement has the blogosphere roaring with rumors and theories as to what we can expect next month. Some point to the word “evolution” as a reference to LTE, or Long Term Evolution, hoping for a LTE 4G-worthy device.

In possibly related news, yesterday a sketch was released of a just-FCC-approved device, largely assumed to be the new Samsung Vibrant 4G. The model number, SGH-T959V, almost identically mimics that of the original Vibrant – SGH-T959. It also runs on AWS frequencies, owned by T-Mobile (the purveyor of Samsung’s Vibrant) furthering confidence that this device has been appropriately identified.

Will these two independent bulletins converge? Samsung’s offering an official teaser on February 1st, but we won’t know anything for sure until MWC. Just keep your fingers crossed!… Read the rest

Getting Your WiMAX Fix, Part Two; Clearwire Equipment for CLEAR Service

Tiferet Weiss on January 19, 2011 | 3 comments

You’ve seen things, read stuff, and heard nonsense, but at the end of the day, more likely than not, you don’t know what the heck to think of 4G WiMAX. Here for you today is part two of our tour through the market – we take you to Clearwire, the provider of CLEAR service itself, and examine the hardware options it offers to those looking to buy into its service.

WiMAX Summit in Taiwan Addresses Global Roaming

Moshe Lehmann on January 13, 2011 | 1 comment

Earlier this week, several WiMAX operators met in Taipei to discuss the development of global, or international, roaming on WiMAX networks. The first-ever WiMAX Forum Global Operators Summit served as an opportunity for operators to draft cooperative agreements and move forward in achieving global roaming on 4G networks.

Just like for traditional cell phones, WiMAX roaming involves using another provider’s network when outside reach of your own. Global roaming refers to borrowing such services when outside your home country. Roaming is made possible through agreements between the various providers to share their services with each other’s subscribers. For WiMAX service, this feature is still in its nascent stages. Analysts project revenues from WiMAX global roaming to grow up to 86% within the next five years.

According to some reports, new IEEE 802.16m standards for WiMAX technology and equipment were hoped to have been set in Taipei. Final approval, though, is not expected until March.

With many of the world’s manufacturers of WiMAX-related products based in Taiwan, the conference was also seen as an opportunity for local producers to meet with international service providers. With the influx of so many representatives from around the world, officials in Taiwan’s Ministry for Economic Affairs hoped the summit would generate deals, agreements, and ultimately revenue for the Southeast Asian country.… Read the rest

LEAKED: T-Mobile’s Fastest 4G Smartphone

Moshe Lehmann on January 12, 2011 | 2 comments

According to T-Mobile inside blogger, TmoNews, the Samsung Vibrant 4G will move data at a lightning 21Mbps. 50% faster than the G2 and MyTouch 4G (T-Mobile’s other hot smartphones), this device will be T-Mobile’s speediest offering. The Vibrant 4G is an upgraded version of the Samsung Vibrant, currently the #1 selling Galaxy S product in the US, with over 1 million units sold. No details about plans or pricing for the new device are yet available.

Other exciting additions accompany the Vibrant 4G as well. According to the leaked documents, the Vibrant 4G will carry Android 2.2, Froyo. The original Vibrant is still running on Android 2.1, so this is a welcome improvement. However, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) has already been released, leaving this upgrade with more to be desired. A more welcome addition, a front-facing video camera will adorn the new device, enabling video chatting. A couple new programs, T-Mobile TV and the Double Twist Air Sync, will be included but not too much is known about their particulars.

In terms of similarity, the Vibrant 4G contains the same internal processor, Super AMOLED touch screen, and memory capacity ranging from 16 to 32GB. The Kindle app and Samsung Media Hub will also come included, although the free movie Avatar will be replaced with Inception. The same 5 megapixel camera still rests at the back of the device.

Is the Vibrant 4G really a 4G phone? T-Mobile likes to refer to its HSPA+ system as a 4G-level network, however most objective analysts say it’s really only a superfast 3G, not quite up to 4G standards. In any case, definitions in this area remain fuzzy at best and it’s difficult to come up with clear distinctions between the various technologies. Either way, the fast speeds promised for this new device certainly boost its appeal. The question remains: will it be as popular as its predecessor? Only time will tell.… Read the rest

Getting Your WiMAX Fix, Part One; Sprint-ing through the Market

Tiferet Weiss on December 29, 2010 | 13 comments

You’ve seen things, read stuff, and heard nonsense, but at the end of the day, more likely than not, you don’t know what the heck to think of 4G WiMAX. However, despite all the technical mumbo-jumbo choking way-too-savvy blogs and overenthused advertisements, we do believe it’s worth it to jump on the bandwagon and get it on the hottest new mobile trend to seize the grand ol’ US of A. Therefore, for your viewing pleasure (and poor, overworked brain), we’ve put together a shopping list to help you get your 4G fix, WiMAX-style, one hardware provider at a time.

Lost in Translation: A Few Basic Tech Terms that are Esoteric

Ahuva Zucker on November 18, 2010 | 4 comments

News articles are supposed to be informative, not confusing. So, why is it then that when we read something in the news we end up more perplexed than when we were initially? One possible answer is that a lot of news articles, particularly technological ones, are made with the assumption that the reader is up to date with what’s going on. They aren’t explaining something new as much as they are adding information to something they think readers already know; but there are others who are just trying grasp basic concepts before developing a deeper understanding of a topic at hand. This particular post has those people in mind. We can’t freely assume that everyone reading this site is up to date on all of the wireless industry jargon present in conversation of 4G WiMax. So we’re taking this opportunity to present a primer on WiMax lingo. If you’re already apprised of the ins-and-outs of the business and just need a refresher course, you might want to read through this brief guide:

4G refers to fourth generation wireless standards. For all intents and purposes, when it is mentioned it is typically regarding a standard of speed, which has a peak rate of 100 Mbps for mobile users and 1 Gbps for stationary users. That means for a company to have 4G speeds they need to have passed a test where their technology peaked at those speeds.

3G, which is third generation, is also a speed standard, but of a much lower caliber. Generally speaking, though, it’s really a term for phones that can provide speech and data services simultaneously. Short story: you can talk on the phone and receive e-mails without your phone having a conniption. Most smart phones are 3G.

2G, second generation, is what everyone else has. 2G cell phones send radio signals digitally.

1G is, technologically speaking, arcane. Back in the 1980s, these first generation wireless phones sent radio signals that were analog. If you see 1G mentioned in anything you’re reading, unless it’s discussing speeds historically, check out the date it was published.

3GPP which stands for 3rd Generation Partnership Project is NOT a speed or standard of any sort, but rather a group of telecommunications associations that assess and standardize technologies that are released.

IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which, similarly to 3GPP, standardizes technologies

WiMAX… Read the rest

Governator to Spend End of Days in Office with CLEAR WiMax Access

Evan Kessler on November 15, 2010 | 1 comment

Things in California’s state capital have been a bit rocky over the last few years, with the “Last Action Hero” playing the role of “the worst-governing action hero,” the money situation in the Golden State can best be described as precarious. Now as the tumultuous term of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger winds down, there’s a bit of light on the horizon in the city of Sacramento. No, that light isn’t the result of an explosion emanating from the set of Terminator 5: The Rise of Jerry Brown, but rather from the switch being flipped on CLEAR’s WiMax network in the River City.

Fresh off the announcement that Los Angeles and San Francisco would be latching onto the service come December, Clearwire has launched their brand of 4G WiMax in the city surrounding the governor’s mansion– making it the 63rd city to do so. And with the state’s financial woes in mind, they’ll be offering quite a proposition to the area’s 1.2 million customers in the form of an online only deal. Those who make their way to the CLEAR web portal will be eligible for 50 percent off their service plan for the first two months. We know the “Super Fast Mobile Internet” service won’t help alleviate all of the state’s financial woes, but it’s a start.

… Read the rest

WiMax Coming to LaLa Land

Evan Kessler on November 12, 2010 | 2 comments

Sunshine, occasional earthquakes, beautiful people; there are a lot of benefits to living in the nation’s number two market. Notice among those positive attributes, nowhere was speedy Internet mentioned. Well that’s because until now the City of Angels was saddled with run-of-the-mill 3G networks. That’s all slated to change on December 1st as Sprint and Clearwire flip the switch on their “4G” WiMax network.

Though there’s been foreboding news as of late regarding Clearwire’s WiMax rollout plans, it just wouldn’t seem right for LA to be lagging behind four other Golden State cities in the 4G race. Merced, Visalia, Modesto and Stockton have already been fiddling around on the network for some time and San Francisco is slated to follow in Mid-December. How long that good thing lasts remains to be seen, with Clearwire’s future finances in question. For now we’re keeping our eyes on the prize and saying hooray for arrival of WiMax networks in Hollywood. If anyone needs the increased streaming capabilities of Clearwire’s mobile broadband networks it’s those entertainment executives who are always on the go.… Read the rest

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