December 2009

New Year Means New Possibilities

Michael Licata on December 31, 2009

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2010 holds a lot of promise for WiMax, companies, consumers and bystanders are waiting to see how the technology develops. Many companies are looking to expand WiMax services, devices and offer new devices for consumers. LG and Sprint are looking to launch a new smartphone at Consumer Electronics Show on January 6. Clearwire is looking to raise more money by offering another round of common stock.

In international development, Mada commenced WiMax offerings in Jordan. Mobily extended its coverage area in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Qtel announced its plans to offer service in the Philippines. Huawei also announced its first commercial WiMax venture in India. Wanteen Telecom is looking to expand WiMax service in Pakistan. Mauritius got started in the WiMax game too.

In CPE news, companies are getting ready to show off their new products at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas January 7-10. Intel is showcasing a new WiMax chip. Sprint also released the latest WiMax modems, including a 3G/4G router that mobile phone connection for the internet. Green Packet continues to influence WiMax development, it secured contracts for CPEs in three countries located in Asia Pacific.

Many wireless experts are looking to the early part of 2010 to see whether WiMax can become mainstream and others are waiting to see how LTE develops and which one becomes the choice for the developed nations. WiMax will continue to grow in developing countries, companies are planning on unveiling many different devices and services for WiMax, so for now, WiMax is the 4G technology that’s most available so it’ll continue to grow as long as consumers are looking for the next best thing.

There’s studies being done about how WiMax can be used by emergency services and other public safety departments for municipalities and governments.

Sprint 3G/4G Router Leaked Online

Michael Licata on December 31, 2009 | 3 comments

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Information has leaked online about Sprint’s first pocket sized router for WiMax news, originally reported by BGR. It’s called the Overdrive from Sierra Wireless. and it should be available early 2010.

It works by picking up 3G and 4G signals and turns them into a local wireless network. It also works with a connection to a phone that will support up to five devices with up to 6 Mps Internet access on a 4G network with a 3G connection as a fallback.

The Overdrive, should supply up to five users with the up to 6Mbps Internet access with 3G as a fallback. In a unique twist, it will have an SD card slot for storage and will treat this as a network-attached drive for everyone using the same hotspot. It will have a range of up to 100 feet. Sprint hasn’t announced it yet, so a price isn’t set and it’s believed to be ready by February 2010.… Read the rest

Huawei Starts WiMax Network in India

Michael Licata on December 30, 2009 | 2 comments

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Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. has launched the first Indian WiMAX commercial network in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. They’ve struck an agreement with India Communications Corporation Limited (BSNL). Huawei will offer mobile WiMax, or 208.16e. This means people can access the network from anywhere on any type of WiMax-enabled device. It will also provide high-speed data services for rural areas of India, connecting residents to the internet in sparse areas of the country.

Besides deploying WiMAX networks, Huawei also participates in the their operation, and supports customers in their network commercialization. In the US, they provide WiMAX 4T4R cell towers for Clearwire, a leading WiMAX network operator, improving network coverage and user experience.… Read the rest

Fitel Purchases Base Stations for WiMax Rollout In Taiwan

Michael Licata on December 30, 2009 | 1 comment

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First International Telecom (Fitel) has signed a contract with Motorola for the purchase of WiMAX base stations for its WiMAX infrastructure roll-outs in Taiwan. Fitel plans to install 45 WiMAX base stations in Hsinchu City, northern Taiwan before the end of February 2010. Itwould then have to secure a license to operate WiMax services within one month.

All local WiMAX licensees are required to obtain their operating licenses before the end of the first quarter of 2010 or lose their rights to run WiMAX networks in Taiwan. Fitel also plans to start WiMAX services in Hsinchu City before expanding its WiMAX network coverage into Taipei City, where the company has already installed 52 base stations.… Read the rest

Study Expects Increase in WiMax Use in Public Safety

Michael Licata on December 29, 2009 | 1 comment

A report from Frost & Sullivan titled “Assessment of Wireless Broadband for Public Safety”, finds that wireless technologies such as WiMAX and LTE offer immense promise in enhancing the standard of public safety communications globally.

The result would be WiMax and other wireless broadband technology is likely to increase use in public safety in the next few years. Governments worldwide clearly understand the role of wireless broadband technology after numerous unforeseen terrorist attacks and unanticipated natural disasters revealed the loopholes in emergency communications. This result means governments have eased their regulatory environments by lowering the barriers to entry for foreign companies and releasing dedicated spectrum for public safety.

“IP-based communications is one of the most significant drivers of wireless broadband for public safety communications, as it solves one of the fundamental challenges faced in this segment – interoperability,” notes Technical Insights Research Analyst Anirudh S. Srinivasan. “Besides its ability to connect disparate radio systems and frequency bands, the IP platform also enables future technologies to be incorporated as and when required, without getting stuck with a single vendor or protocol.”

Internet-provider based communications makes it simpler and easier for public safety networks to operate because of bandwidth usage. WiMax would provide more broadband data services to fixed and mobile public safety users. Public safety would have a multilayer network capable of supporting seperate technological standards by using multiple radios capable of operating in several frequency bands would offer the best environment for offering a versatile wireless broadband network.

The next three to six years are anticipated to be crucial for wireless broadband technologies’ development. Analogue television spectrum is anticipated to be cleared by most countries and auctioned off for mobile broadband operators in the near future. A part of this spectrum is likely to be used for public safety communications in many of these countries on the same lines as in the United States.

While wireless connectivity provides greater flexibility and near-ubiquitous coverage, security issues still pose a major roadblock to wider adoption in this segment. Counter-terrorism agents and law-enforcement officials cannot risk having criminals and terrorists gaining access to critical information. Apart from this, the need to integrate high standards of resilience and on-the-move mobility adds to the complexity of wireless broadband deployment.

Synergistic partnerships between the industry and governing bodies can help deal with such impediments dogging the market landscape. The onus is on companies to garner support … Read the rest

More WiMax Service to be Offered in Philippines

Michael Licata on December 29, 2009 | 1 comment

Qtel planning to launch broadband services using the WiMax technology in the Philippines in the coming months. In a recent interview with CommsMEA, Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO, Qtel, described WiMAX as being an “important pillar” of the company’s strategy, and confirmed that Qtel was planning to launch services in the Philippines in the first few months of 2010 through its Wi-Tribe.

“Wi-Tribe already launched services in Jordan in 2008 and we also launched our operation in Pakistan a couple of months ago, and we are planning to launch services in the Philippines early next year. The reason for this is we believe WiMAX is the right technology to provide fixed broadband at this stage,” he said.

Marafih added that he sees a significant opportunity for fixed wireless services in Pakistan and the Philippines, which both have low broadband penetration rates and widely dispersed populations. One of Wi-Tribe’s rivals in Pakistan, Abu Dhabi Group’s Wateen Telecom, said recently that it had accelerated the rollout of its WiMAX infrastructure with the aim of doubling its customer premises equipment volume from 100,000 to 200,000 by the end of the year.

Saudi Arabian operator Mobily, said this week that it had extended its WiMAX coverage to more than 20 additional districts in Riyadh, including Mekal, Al Yamamah, Al Salam, west Uraijaa, and Al Rayyan.

Photo Courtesy of Nigel@hornchurch via Flickr… Read the rest

More WiMax Coverage Now in Saudi Arabia

Michael Licata on December 28, 2009 | 2 comments

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Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) extended its WiMax coverage to more districts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Thanks to Bayanat Al-Oula, Mobily’s data arm, residents of these districts can now enjoy extremely fast Internet access through a WiMax network.

The latest districts covered are Mekal, Al Yamamah, Al Salam, west Uraijaa, Al Rayyan, Zahret Al-Badea, Al Khaleej, Araka and Al-Maezlia, Al Hazm, Oum Elhamam Al Gharby , Soultanah, Al Aziziyah, Al Marwah, Al Khalidiya, Zahret Labn, Al Chemissi, Al Dar Albidaa, Al saada, Al Swedey, Labn, Shubra, Al Swedey, Al Gharby. A company spokesman recently stated that the company is working to build a complete WiMax coverage area in all major cities in Saudi Arabia.

WiMax is the latest wireless technology that facilitates high-speed broadband internet services. The sheer simplicity of using WiMax makes it the medium of choice for users who have access to it. All a user needs to do is fire up a WiMax router to get online quickly. Moreover, the user can take his or her router anywhere with them anywhere in the world, as long as WiMax coverage is available.

Mobily is keen to provide its customers with the latest in telecommunications and broadband technology. Its national WiMax project is part of Mobily’s drive to make the Internet available to everyone in the Kingdom, which maintaining its highest standards of quality and usability.… Read the rest

National Instruments Announces New Testing for WiMax devices

Michael Licata on December 28, 2009 | 4 comments

National Instruments introduces new testing for WiMax mobile devices. It uses modular RF instrumentation for automated testing which reduces test time by up to 300 percent and provides better accuracy and more flexibility.

The suite provides more flexibility with the same equipment used for testing Mobile WiMAX devices. It is the same technology that tests hardware that complies with other standards such as Fixed WiMAX, wireless local area network (WLAN), GPS, and GSM/EDGE/WCDMA cell standards.

“The NI Measurement Suite for Mobile WiMAX reflects the continued investment from National Instruments to provide test solutions for engineers developing next-generation wireless technology devices,” said Eric Starkloff, vice president of test marketing at National Instruments. “With this new solution, we now can provide engineers the ability to significantly reduce their test cost by providing R&D-grade instrumentation that performs measurements three to five times faster than traditional solutions.”

The measurement suite is based on PXI Express instrumentation with error vector magnitude (EVM), power and spectral measurements three to five times faster than traditional instruments used for measuring mobile WiMax. With a typical residual EVM accuracy of -46 dB at 3.5 GHz (-10 dBm), this test system can perform more highly accurate measurements than alternative production test-grade instruments.

The Measurement Suite for Mobile WiMAX supports channel bandwidths from 1.25 to 28 MHz and fast Fourier transform (FFT) sizes 128, 256, 1024 and 2048, and all Mobile WiMAX modulation types with both convolution coding and turbo convolution coding. The Measurement Suite for Mobile WiMAX also can generate or analyze signals with up to eight zones and 16 bursts. Combined with the NI PXIe-5663E RF vector signal analyzer and NI PXIe-5673 RF vector signal generator, the measurement suite also provides continuous frequency coverage from 85 MHz to 6.6 GHz.… Read the rest

InfoValue Launches IPTV over WiMax Network

Michael Licata on December 28, 2009

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InfoValue Computing, Inc. announced its IPTV deployment on WiMAX infrastructure in Asia Pacific. The installation is powered by InfoValue QuickVideo IPTV platform. It will allow users to view high-quality live TV channels and video-on-demand content on a WiMAX mobile network.

“InfoValue IPTV solution empowers WiMAX service providers to offer leading edge IPTV services to their customers in a way that truly helps them build premium quality and increase customer loyalty,” said Monsong Chen, CEO of InfoValue. “We are excited about this deployment as it turns the future vision into today’s experience.”

WiMAX customers use IPTV services to view high quality live TV and video-on-demand content on their laptop PCs, 3G phones, and other handheld devices anywhere and anytime within WiMAX coverage area.

InfoValue QuickVideo offers comprehensive powerful features, ranging from high-quality HDTV channels, video-on-demand content, to network-based personal video recording and time-shifted television. InfoValue QuickVideo is uniquely positioned to partner with WiMAX to offer premium mobile IPTV services to simultaneously generate new revenues, increase customer base, and reduce operational expenses.… Read the rest

Sprint, LG to Showcase WiMax-enabled Smartphone at CES

Michael Licata on December 28, 2009 | 2 comments

Sprint and LG plan to unveil new WiMax-enabled smartphone at Consumer Electronics Show. It set to be shown on January 6, 2010.

The phone will run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system that connects to WiMax networks. The device will run on three platforms, CDMA, EV-DO, and WiMAX. Phone users will be able to make phone calls over Sprint’s voice network and use the carrier’s 3G service, as well as the WiMAX service offered by Clearwire. CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, is suppose to speaking at the event too.… Read the rest

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December 2009

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