Elizabeth Dickey

Time Warner to Launch WiMAX VoIP

on April 7, 2010  



In recent months, rumors have been circulating regarding Time Warner’s interest in launching a VoIP service using Clearwire’s WiMAX network. These rumors were confirmed by Time Warner’s vice president for mobile services, Mike Roudi. Simply stated, he said that in order for Time Warner to become competitive with major carriers like AT&T and Verizon, the company will need a wireless voice offering.

Roudi pointed out that though the company’s current interest has been the launch of their mobile broadband, it is important to keep in mind that Time Warner has been brainstorming and strategizing about voice as well. 

“One of the great things about the Clearwire WiMAX network is, just like we do voice over our wireline broadband, over time we will be able to do voice basically as a VoIP application. That is something we have our eyes on. We just have chosen not to lead with voice, because mobile broadband is a more immediate opportunity for us because it is such a natural extension of the wireline Road Runner product,” said Roudi. 

While the mobile industry continues to be driven by subscriber growth among other factors, mobile broadband is going to continue to be a major focus in 2010 and beyond, with WiMAX as the key driver in many emerging markets. Time Warner’s own branded WiMAX service, Road Runner Mobile, has been available in Dallas, Hawaii and North Carolina. Based on the company’s Q4 2009 earnings and recent success, CEO Glenn Britt believes the networks of the future will combine both wireless and wireline components.

“This will develop in exciting ways we really can’t imagine today, but I think there is going to be a whole array of products using these hybrid networks in the future…this is the very early beginning and I don’t know how to size the opportunity because I don’t think any of us really and fully imagine what the products are going to be — but it is an exciting opportunity.” 

Back in January, Britt said that Time Warner had the capability to create a wireless voice product, but that the company was unsure of its future. Time Warner’s momentum has cleary kept going since January and along with current markets where Road Runner is available, Roudi announced that the company plans to launch service in new markets including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and New York City later this year as Clearwire … Read the rest

New Devices & Spectrum Space Giving WiMAX the Edge in 4G

on March 31, 2010   |   2 comments



Looking at the continued expansion of WiMAX in recent months in the U.S. and across the globe, it appears that two major factors will continue to forward this momentum – both the launch of new devices and Clearwire’s spectrum advantage. New devices are making WiMAX more mainstream while Clearwire’s ownership of so much spectrum space amidst the spectrum crisis has given it a crucial edge over LTE and other developing technologies, allowing for rollout in new cities across the nation. After the launch of numerous devices and announcements regarding targeted markets for future deployment at CTIA 2010 last week, it is even more apparent that other major service providers like AT&T and Verizon really don’t stand a chance against the Sprint Clearwire powerhouse at the moment.

In terms of new devices, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse unveiled the most cutting-edge phone of the year, the HTC Evo 4G WiMAX smartphone. It is the first 4G phone and runs on Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network and Google’s Android 2.1 operating system but with HTC’s Sense user interface overlay. It is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor with a large 4.3 inch 480-by-800 LCD screen and has an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, allowing for video conferencing over WiMAX or Wi-Fi. Sprint and Clear made a big push for this at at CTIA and it got a lot of much-deserved attention.

Another hot device was HTC’s HD2. Similar to the HTC Evo, the phone runs on Window’s Mobile 6.5 and is available through T-Mobile. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor but is slimmer with a smaller battery and only a 5 megapixel camera. Samsung’s Galaxy S was unveiled and also runs on Android 2.1, with a 1 GHz Samsung processor and a screen with a touch sensor within the screen itself, making it 20% brighter with 80% less reflection.

At the show, big carriers like AT&T and Verizon acted with caution and a lack of excitement, not offering much in their announcements admidst the hype and energy surrounding Sprint and Clearwire. Clearwire’s chief commercial officer Mike Sievert even made comments targeted at AT&T and Verizon regarding recent announcements of limited spectrum space available to them as compared to Clearwire’s spectrum monopoly.

Motorola’s i1, an Android 1.5 phone designed for Sprint Nextel’s IDEN network and optimized for push-to-talk, was also launched. It has a 3.1 … Read the rest

International Conference in UK to Discuss Next-Generation Technology

on March 29, 2010  



A number of next generation technology topics, including WiMAX, will be discussed at the annual NGN & Basestations Conference in Bath, UK, April 19-23, 2010. Other topics will include next generation networks, basestations, LTE, femtocells, backhaul, spectrum re-farming, and going green. 

Distinguished speakers from leading operators including Vodafone, Telenor, Telefonica, O2, British Telecom, Orange, SFR, Virgin Media, 3UK, Vimplecom, Digicel, Mobilkom Austria, Elisa, and Globul will share a platform with industry analysts from Ovum, ABI Research, Analysis Mason, Heavy Reading, Arete, GSMA and Ofcom. 

A major topic of discussion will be the deployment of home basestations/femtocells, with increasing numbers of operators worldwide introducing new products.

Vodafone markets the Sure Signal femtocell in the UK and Head of New Technology for Vodafone, Kenny Graham, will be speaking on “Femtocells — the Next Phase”. Green Basestations and networks are another hot topic and the conference will be focusing on claims made by vendors and operators alike to be more eco friendly.

“Whilst there are many conferences (on wireless networks), the International Basestation Conference is exceptional both for its clear focus and the high-quality of attendees,” said Rupert Baines, VP of Marketing at picoChip, who will be addressing the topic of Architecture for Next Generation Networks at the conference. 

The conference aims to bring together all the different players in the the wireless world – operators, network vendors, analyst and subsystem/chip providers and more to provide delegates with the latest on LTE standards, backhaul, femtocells, spectrum refarming, mobile WiMAX, VoIP, HSDPA, fixed/mobile convergence, and more.

To follow the conference, check out the event site at www.avrenevents.com.

Photo courtesy of Ian Muttoo via Flickr… Read the rest

Global Industry Analysts’ Report Predicts Future WiMAX Expansion

on March 25, 2010   |   2 comments



Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA), just announced the release of a global report on the WiMAX market, predicting that the world market for WiMAX will exceed $9.4 billion by 2015. Despite the current economic downturn that threw most major industries for a loop, the report says that WiMAX is expected to recreate momentum thanks to a greater number of mobile WiMAX-enabled tools, growth in base station operation, and expansion in other emerging markets.

As WiMAX becomes more commercially accessible, main targets for WiMAX growth will be up and coming markets who have little or no DSL coverage. International areas of potential WiMAX growth and current WiMAX rollout include Eastern and Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Central America and Latin America. At present, India is considered to be the biggest WiMAX opportunity and various providers are scrambling to get their stake there.

International WiMAX growth in 2009 decelerated a bit over the course of the year while the global economic recession resulted in a decline in monthly revenues from business users. Hurdles with deployment for WiMAX operators involving financing, regulations, and spectrum allocation all played their respective parts in this decline. Keep in mind that growth is still expected, particularly after Q1 2010 showed major expansion in WiMAX devices, deployment, and subscribers.

Nationally, the WiMAX market has been growing and will continue to increase in not only remote, hard-to-reach areas, but now in major metropolis’ as well. Major factors that will drive continued adoption of mobile WiMAX are shifts in user spending towards wireless broadband services and rationalization of communication services expenses by consumers. Top WiMAX provider Clearwire has already rolled out WiMAX in over 30 markets across the country with plans of WiMAX in more major cities including New York and San Francisco for 2010.

Another factor to be taken into consideration in the future of WiMAX is the development of LTE and the hype surrounding it, as it is expected to have a major impact on the 4G world. In terms of the WiMAX-LTE debate, some are skeptical and believe that for one to prosper, the other must fail. In reality, the possibility of dual WiMAX and LTE-enabled devices has already been in the works with major 4G players including Clearwire, Intel, Nokia, and Sprint and shows real promise.

The report titled “WiMAX: A Global Strategic Business Report” announced by GIA provides a comprehensive … Read the rest

Latest Netbook & Modems Released For WiMAX

on March 25, 2010   |   1 comment



Dell is releasing the Inspiron Mini 10 netbook to mobile broadband providers. T-Mobile will offer the device with a 3G modem for a reduced price and a two year service contract.

Clear will begin selling the Mini 10 for $250 with the purchase of Clear service in April. It’s regularly priced at $299 and comes with a Windows 7 operating system and free unlimited data plans offering download speeds of up to 6 Mbit/s,

In other device news, Franklin Wireless released the R536 WiMAX Wave II embedded hot spot router. It works on the 2.5 GHz that supports Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It’s simple to set up and doesn’t need software to access 4G networks. It will be available in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean in May 2010.

Franklin released the U600 WiMAX/CDMA modem for Sprint as well. It connects to both the 3G and 4G networks. It will go on sale in April from Franklin Wireless and its carriers.

These two devices showcase the efforts being made by operators to get people to sign up for 4G service. All these devices provide great WiMAX connections and should continue to push towards integration.

Photo Courtesy of Mobile Edge Laptop Cases via Flickr… Read the rest

CTIA Shows Promise Of Major U.S. WiMAX Expansion

on March 24, 2010   |   2 comments



After day one of CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas, a number of announcements, presentations, and unveilings are already under way. Optimism surrounding future roll out, devices, and  forward-thinking shows real promise in regards to the extent of WiMAX expansion in the United States for 2010.

Demand for broadband across the country has been increasing at rates greater than expected, leading service providers and companies to up their efforts to deploy networks in new markets. In yesterday morning’s keynote at CTIA, AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vegao stressed this point, emphasizing how the U.S. is moving faster than any other country in the world to deploy these networks and lead the way in 4G.

In terms of these developments, a variety of announcements and unveilings took place on day one. Motorola announced that they have doubled their WiMAX CPE and dongle shipments in the past month and have surpassed two million shipments. Motorola is clearly taking advantage of WiMAX’s momentum, now holding 40 worldwide WiMAX operator contracts.

WiMAX superstar Clearwire unveiled its 2010 plan for installing WiMAX networks nationwide and announced additional markets including Miami, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City. Looking at the immediate future, Clearwire will launch WiMAX in Houston later this month. The majority of new markets won’t start being built out until the second half of 2010, but it can be said, without a doubt, that Clearwire is going to consider to succeed. 

Sprint announced that they will provide 4G WiMAX for 120 million Americans by the end of the year. Sprint VP of network development and engineering, Iyad Tarazi, emphasized an immediate need for nationwide 4G now since phones have become more advanced than networks in recent months, indicating that the network can and will do more.

Sprint will also be giving test drives of its WiMAX network in downtown Las Vegas, an area considered to be very difficult because of many large casinos. It will be interesting to see how these tests go in an area with challenging topography – New York’s skyscrapers and San Francisco’s hills pose similar challenges in building out WiMAX and both cities are on the list for buildout in 2010. The results of test drives in Las Vegas could be very indicative of how close WiMAX engineers are in mastering these cities.

Verizon will be hosting a press event today in regards to … Read the rest

Motorola to Expand and Increase Broadband Speed in St. Martin

on March 23, 2010  



Motorola announced today that CaribServe, a wireless broadband service provider in the Caribbean, holds a two-year contract with Motorola for the provision of devices, services, and WiMAX infrastructure.

CaribServe is the first customer to choose Motorola’s recently announced WiMAX ASN gateway 1000 and has been working with the company since 2004.

“When Motorola developed its WiMAX ASN gateway 1000, we were able to offer our customers services based on WiMAX fastest entry point to a low cost to build the new network and provide better broadband experience to residents and tourists to our island,” said Roy Richardson, Co-founder and CEO of CaribServe.

CaribServe plans to offer WiMAX service in the 3.5GHz band to the Netherlands side of the the island in the next few months and in 2011, on the French side as well. CaribServe offers an extensive range of Motorola’s CPE, including CPEo 450, CPEi 750, 775 CPEi, and the dongle USBw 200. Motorola will deploy the network using WiMAX Access Point (WAP) 35450.

“Motorola continues to innovate in the design of new products such as WiMAX ASN gateway 1000 that allows our customers to deliver wireless broadband services cost effectively,” said Flavio Cardoso, Senior Director of Business United of Motorola Networks for the region Latin America. “We are seeing a growing interest and momentum for WiMAX in the Caribbean and throughout the world, and this new contract with CaribServe WiMAX is just another example of how our portfolio can be tailored to different business models for WiMAX operators.”

Photo courtesy of gobucks2 via Flickr… Read the rest

New 4G-WiMAX Chips Released by Beceem

on March 23, 2010   |   1 comment



Leading 4G chip provider, Beceem Communications, announced today the launch of its BCSx350 chip, the company’s sixth-generation WiMAX chip. It includes a patented “Twin-Turbo” dual transmit uplink technology, providing up to 6dB of performance gain compared to traditional Wave 2 uplink technology. It is the most advanced 4G-WiMAX platform ever designed.

“Performance and market leadership are the hallmarks of our 4G products,” said Lars Johnsson, vice president of marketing and business for Beceem Communications. “We continue to invest heavily in improving the performance of WiMAX networks and devices, and our new BCSx350 chip is by far the most capable 4G-WiMAX chip given its further increased uplink performance and continuously reduced power consumption.”

The new BCSx350 comes in two models – the BCSM350 for mobile/embedded devices and the BCS5350 for high-performance, low-cost CPE that simultaneously support data, voice, and WiFi in a single chip. It is expected to go into mass production Q2/2010.… Read the rest

Rohde & Schwarz and Benetel Present Femtocell Test and Measurements Solutions

on March 23, 2010  



Rohde & Schwarz and Benetel Ltd are working together to supply test and measurement solutions for Femtocell Access Points (FAP) from product development through pilot and mass production. Rohde & Schwarz have the test and measurement equipment necessary while Benetel has experience in test software and custom solutions. 

The BTS114RS production test system is the first femtocell test system to utilize parallel RF testing to reduce the cost of test (COT) while the design and verification system, FAST, helps shorten product development time during the R&D phase. The system has a compact design to minimize floor space requirements and also includes auto calibration, remote log-in capability, and a database with tools for analyzing production data. 

Benetel’s design verification system, FAST, also benefits from the partnership, helping femtocell developers shorten product development time by automating device verification. The Benetel Test Set contains a series of filter banks which can be switched in and out of the RF path, enabling the automation of blocking and adjacent channel measurements. 

Benetel is in Central Hall, C3, booth 1727 at CTIA.… Read the rest

Motorola Doubles WiMAX CPE & Dongle Shipments

on March 23, 2010   |   2 comments



Just six months ago, Motorola reached one million in WiMAX CPE and dongle shipments and they are making waves once again, today announcing that it has surpassed two million shipments since then. The announcement was made at the start of CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas today.

“These are impressive numbers by any measure, particularly since we’ve exceeded the pace of WiMAX device shipments we acheived last year when Motorola doubled its WiMAX device shipments in just six months,” Senior Vice President of Motorola, Bruce Brda said. 

Motorola has also reported a new contract with AXTEL, who they have been working with since 2008, for CPEs to be used to bring 4G service to parts of Mexico. AXTEL is a Mexican telcom company providing products and services to over 30 cities in Mexico.

Motorola is taking advantage of WiMAX’s momentum, now holding 40 WiMAX contracts with operators across the world.… Read the rest

Page 1 of 8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8