2010 marks a pivotal year for the telecommunications industry. Not only is it the beginning of a new decade, but it’s als o the beginning of a new era in terms of connecting to others. It’s a critical juncture of technology, it’s an evolution: the 4th generation. Competing companies such as Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T all have a role in producing this 4th generation. They have sunk massive amounts of commerce in the development of their own version of the technology but as of now, none of these companies are capable of producing the finalized product. Though each company has set their approximate nation-wide release year, which is 2013, as well as their estimation as to how many consumers will be connected to their 4G networks, roughly 100 million, none of the companies have commercially marketed their product to the public. There hasn’t been any newspaper articles or television commercials about the product, and trying to find information on their websites is pretty much a fool’s errand. It seems that the 4th generation of connectivity isn’t as ready as these companies portrait it to be.

Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are the companies leading the way for this new product. They exude confidence during technology fairs concluding that the 4G revolution is upon us. They’ve developed products to help connect to the network such as portable modems, usb drives, and sim cards. They’ve even entitled their networks; Sprint’s being WIMAX (World-wide Interoperability for Microwave Access) while Verizon and AT&T’s shall be called LTE (Long Term Evolution). However, perhaps their confidence is missed guided and their promise of debuting in 2013 is unrealistic.

WIMAX developed by the Sprint and Clear companies respectively, seems to be losing ground in the United States amidst their attempt to bring WIMAX success domestically. Though they’ve raised 3.2 billion dollars in investments to produce the network, Sprint and Clear may have underestimated how expensive it is to blanket the country in connectivity. Sprint, the lesser of the three major telecommunications distributors in the country, may not have enough currency to continue production if the 3.2 billion isn’t enough, and investors Google, Time Warner, and Intel may grow weary of waiting and pull their investments early. Also those dependent on their WIMAX’s success is far less than those who are dependent on LTE”s success due to the fact that Verizon and AT&T are far larger companies. If it were a track race, Sprint is trying to take a shortcut by cutting through the field while Verizon and AT&T have already lapped them. If Sprint’s WIMAX fails, it can be attributed to the fact that their company just isn’t ready or wealthy enough.

LTE developed by Verizon and AT&T is also having trouble breaking ground in the telecommunications industry. Though it has run several tests, and covers almost an equal amount of area that WIMAX does, it is far less mature. It is faster than 3G but is however slower than Clear’s WIMAX. Also the infrastructure of the technology is underdeveloped which can be fixed over time. The problem with LTE is the fact that the company is trying to rush the development of the 4th Generation network so that it isn’t overshadowed by WIMAX. LTE wants to be the fist to release their network in order to compete but at the same time it’s detrimental to the process of developing the technology.

The competition between companies seems to be unhealthy for their product. If they rush development to meet the deadline they set for themselves, it may lead to an unfinished, underdeveloped, product and lead to more problems than solutions. It is essential to that these companies slow the process down so that the network they establish is without problems and inconvenience in the future.
 

Green Packet launched the next generation of  WiMAX modems at the WiMAX Forum Congress Americas on December 2.

“Greenpacket is at the forefront of technology. By adding this new range of modems to our award-winning portfolio.” said said Kelvin Lee, Senior General Manager of Greenpacket, “We are confident of maintaining our leadership position in the 802.16e WiMAX market.”

Greenpacket’s release of new modems includes the  ‘Tower’.  The DX Wimax Indoor VoIP modem  features directional antennas, offering best-in-class connection and built-in VoIP support. This allows WiMAX users the opportunity to sell voice services. The Tower can be used for both home and SOHOs and it is a plug ‘n play device.

Also from Green Packet, comes the ‘Shuttle’, a  WiMax USB High Gain Modem (UH).  It is the world’s first high gain USB modem supporting both fixed and nomadic WiMAX; one of the first breakthrough modems that supports wideband.

Shuttle sets new standards for WiMax performance Its antenna radiates and receives signals from any direction and automatically selects the best antenna to improve signal strength for better uplink performance.  The Shuttle delivers exceptional quality both indoors and outdoors through exceptional transmission power.

Greenpacket will showcase its modems at Booth 29, WiMAX Forum Congress Americas, from 2 – 3 December 2009 in Ft. Lauderdale,FL.
Greenpacket plans to market Tower and Shuttle in Asia, MEA and Europe.