Ari Zoldan, CEO of Quantum Networks, recently spoke with Ben Kolada, an analyst with the New Paradigm Resources Group, as part of NPRG’s Conversations with Communications Innovators podcast series. Ari discussed the international reach of WiMAX technology, the potential for WiMAX in the United States, and the implications of the Sprint/Clearwire rollout, including the nature of the relationship of WiMAX technology to Long Term Evolution.

• Listen to the podcast here : Ari Zoldan Discusses WiMAX with NPRG

New Paradigm Resources Group is a strategic consulting and research firm for communications innovators. NPRG’s podcast series, available in full at the NPRG homepage, contains discussions with the leaders who are shaping the telecommunications industry.

Is the global economic outlook getting you down? Does the business section of your local newspaper depress you? Fortunately, there’s hope, in the form of a quick Google search: there is plenty of news on WiMAX technology floating around the Internet this week, and most of it positive.

Our first item, from the Washington Business Journal, announces the final merger of Clearwire Corp. with Sprint’s WiMAX business, Xohm. If you’ve had your doubts about the ability of Sprint to pull off a successful WiMAX network, this news might boost your confidence. Clearwire comes to the table with $3.2 billion in investments from a group of heavy-hitters in media and telecommunications, including Google, Intel, Comcast, Bright House Networks, and Time Warner Cable. Though Sprint and Clearwire have both seen their stock prices decline further after the announcement of their merger, the final approval of the merger by Clearwire shareholders is a resounding vote of confidence in the long-term promise of WiMAX technology, bolstered by the significant investment of a consortium of industry giants. Google in particular has demonstrated a pattern of quietly rolling out products which offer the greatest convenience and value for the consumer, even when their development requires Google to expend more time, effort, and money behind the scenes. Though many analysts and commentators suspect that other 4G technologies will emerge as easier and cheaper options for companies to pursue, the support of Google and other industry leaders for the Clearwire/Sprint venture sends a message of belief in WiMAX as a strong business venture, worth pursuing with billions of dollars in investments even in the midst of a turbulent financial climate.

More recently, Airspan has offered up another positive news item, announcing that it has successfully demonstrated a seamless handover from one frequency band to another on a mobile WiMAX network in the UK. Airspan’s demonstration of the ability of WiMAX devices to switch between frequency bands with no interruption in service will undoubtedly make WiMAX even more attractive – and affordable – for network operators, who will have the potential to build single networks of two or more frequency bands in order to expand coverage. Enhanced roaming capabilities may also make WiMAX mobile broadband more enticing for end users, which can only help carriers to market WiMAX technology as unique and ground-breaking, and to draw a clearer line between the promise of WiMAX and the lingering specter of failed efforts at providing long-range, high-speed wireless service.

The Sprint-Clearwire deal gave Clearwire undeniable credibility in WiMAX development, and the company is moving forward with the technology in a big way. Beta tests are underway in Portland, with “more than 70 percent of [the] WiMAX sites for Portland…in construction or on air.” Completion is slated for the end of year, with commercial deployments in that city and 3 others in 2009.

But now they have more than just the hardware; as of July 2nd, Clearwire has leased 3 one-year licenses on the 39 GHz spectrum from IDT Spectrum, 2 of which are in the Oregon-Washington area. You may not have heard much about IDT Spectrum recently, but expect to hear the name much in the near future; they own spectrums nationwide, mostly in the 28 and 38/39 GHz range. As we come upon the dawning age of wireless, the value of spectrum cannot be understated: you need spectrum to do anything wireless–especially for WiMAX, which is contentionless. (That means it can only operate on licensed spectrum because it is built to assume the air is clear. If it isn’t, the equipment just doesn’t work! ). Naturally, some companies are trying to develop equipment to change that, but for now, that is the nature of most WiMAX equipment. Those who bought spectrum when a majority of it was auctioned off by the FCC in the 80s are finally seeing their investment bear fruit, whether they intend to lease or sell –  remember the 700MHz auction earlier this year, which grossed a total of $19 billion?

So Clearwire has hardware, spectrum, and is well underway in deployment; what’s to follow ? If all goes well, 2009 will see Las Vegas, Grand Rapids, Atlanta, and Portland commercial launches as the first four commercial markets for Clearwire’s WiMAX service, primed to follow at the heels of the Xohm launches in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington D.C. in the fall of this year. The start of the WiMAX nationwide buildout is only months away.

The development of WiMAX-enabled chips provides a foundation on which WiMAX can take hold in the wireless world. Being that many have cited this year as the “year for WiMAX“, an increase in the development and release of WiMAX-enabled chips has been an intuitive projection for the near future. Intel and Motorola intuitively come up on top in such discussions. Intel in particular has received some buzz for its Centrino 2 Montevina chip. Intel is quoted with this description:

It will feature unprecedented processor performance for faster multitasking, high-bandwidth Wi-Fi (802.11agn), and for the first time, an optional integrated WiMax-Wi-Fi module. Centrino 2 also has a power-saving design to provide the longest possible battery life - News.cnet.com, Brooke Crothers

Apparently this development is only the beginning. As more compact and efficient WiMAX-enabled chips are developed and popularized, the more cost may ease for end-users–ultimately good news for general growth and developments in the field. Along the same vein, Investor’s Business Daily provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of WiMAX chip development, citing roughly 40 companies that are involved in developing WiMAX chips.

Singapore’s port sees over 500 ships each day–many of which have to perform internet-intensive tasks. To facilitate this, Singapore’s port is now launching a Mobile WiMax network known as the WISEPORT network. The network will provide connectivity throughout the port as well as up to 10 miles at sea, according to WiMAX Day. Thus it will enable more off-shore communication including the exchange of files, maps and other vital commercial data. For casual use, crew members will also now have better access to VoIP and video conferencing.

Some of the implications of the WISEPORT network provide interesting opportunities, particularly for cruise ships. Though some ports for cruise ships do have internet cafes available on port, access on ships themselves can sometimes be limited, if not grossly expensive. A WiMAX-based system could increase access points and in the future potentially defray some of the costs. This logic could extent to ferries and smaller passenger ships.

As brought out by the article, benefits of such a network can also extend onshore. For Singapore’s port,

Shipyards and marine engineering companies, shipping lines, terminal operators, technology companies and government agencies are all expected to benefit from the network. Already, companies and organisations such as Shell, APL, Global Marine Transportation and Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) have expressed interest in connectivity.

Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine has reported on the development of a portable WiMAX VoIP cell phone. It features all-IP voice communication with mobile internet capabilities. The telephone was jointly developed by NetIndex Inc., Kaga Electronics Co., Ltd. and Runcom Technologies Ltd and was displayed at the Mobile World Conference in 2008.

Along a similar vein, EMSNow reports on several different developments for WiMAX products in Taiwan. Companies like MediaTek, Asustek Computer, GemTek Technology and many others have plans for shipping their WiMAX-enabled products within this year. Products range from WiMAX chips, and laptops to CPEs, with plenty of talk of increases in shipments within the year. For more details, check out the EMSNow article. Clearly the products industry is revving up for WiMAX.

Nortel Government Solutions is working with the US Department of Defense to explore possibilities for military use of WiMAX. An ideal situation for the Department of Defense would be a powerful wireless network that could instantly connect “anytime, anywhere” whether in the air, on the ground, or at sea. One vision of the use of WiMAX is quoted as follows from WiMAX Day:

In the arena of military tactics, WiMAX can be used to establish “links between temporary camps and command centres…. quick connections between camps and vehicles,” and with mobile WiMAX 802.16e “will allow constant communication with vehicles moving up to 60 miles per hour on the battlefield.” This is similar to a system that was developed for the Command Operations Center (COC) of the US Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) where WiMAX was integrated into mobile command units, combined with tactical radio and satellite systems.

This exploration is not just being undertaken by the United States. The French military has already arranged for the use of WiMAX via French WiMAX operator TDF. The Department of Defense is still waiting for “some standards to mature,” according to WiMAX Day. Whether or not WiMAX is adopted as part of a new technological strategy depends on how the technology evolves and the overall future of the standard.

According to Juniper Research, half of all mobile WiMAX subscribers will be located in Asia by the year 2013. This half will account for roughly 40 million subscribers concentrated mostly in Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan and Australia. The reason? It is believed that WiMAX’s growth will initially be spurred by areas where wired access was not a viable option. WiMAX’s ability to deploy quickly and efficiently in areas that were previously underserved will make it an attractive option for such countries and locales.

Top markets for 2013, according to the research, include the United States, Japan and South Korea. The caveats? Spectrum and devices. In order to reach a potential 80 million subscribers licenses must be acquired in a timely fashion. Furthermore, in order to utilize the WiMAX network, WiMAX-enabled devices will be an obvious necessity. Future projections on the success of WiMAX are hinged on these two elements. Therefore, as more spectrum is allocated and more devices are developed the likelihood of these future projections will continue to increase.

There’s been plenty of talk about how WiMAX could work wonders for device integration as well as inciting a new era for mobile devices. Now some evidence of that is becoming clearer in the gaming world with the first WiMAX-enabled gaming device. POSBRO, a Korea-based company, has developed the WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled G100. It features a four-inch LCD touchscreen with a slide-out gaming pad reminiscent of a somewhat sleeker and more compact Nintendo DS. The G100 will also utilize the Opera browser for a “PC-quality” internet experience. The device is set for release early this year in Korea and in late 2008 to early 2009 in the United States.

Needless to say the gaming industry is a huge one both in the United States and abroad. The mobile gaming industry in particular is poised for major growth, with revenue increasing from the millions to the billions, according to some projections.  If anything, it is thought that the somewhat limited nature of mobile technology in North America (slower connections, lapses in connectivity etc.) are what has hindered some of the potential growth in this area. WiMAX and the network speeds and reliability associated with it would allow for the development of more complex mobile games with richer graphics and better features. Devices like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS have already made huge waves in the gaming industry without including particularly impressive web-based features. Devices like the G100 could set a new standard by raising the expectations of mobile gamers, thus realizing another niche WiMAX’s capabilities fall into. Simultaneously, the early introduction of WiMAX-enabled gaming devices would serve as a hook for the “YouTube generation” market; a market that plays a significant role in trend-setting and the successful adoption of new technologies.

TMCnet reports on DiBcom, TeamCast and UDcast; three companies that are devoted to Mobile TV and the DVB-SH standard. All these companies are collaborating in the Mobile TV Without Limits Project and are combining their equipment and support to give an added push to Mobile TV both in Europe and eventually in the United States. For those that are less aware, Mobile TV is television service delivered to subscribers via mobile telecommunications networks, such as mobile phone carriers.

Interestingly enough, UDcast is also a proponent of WiMAX technologies, in addition to its work on Mobile TV. As standards related to Mobile TV continue to develop and testing extends to the United States, it will be interesting to see if WiMAX and the advantages it has to offer could eventually merge with this emerging technology.