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.

WiMax news has been dominated by a London research firm’s recent announcement that mobile WiMax might be dead on arrival.

“Recent events have been unfavourable toward Mobile WiMAX,” says Frost & Sullivan’s Programme Manager Luke Thomas, referring to Sprint’s delayed deployment of its commercial WiMax network. The firm then focuses on the two aspects of mobile WiMax:

“In terms of indoor wireless broadband, Wi-Fi fits well in this space and with the emergence of 802.11n, which includes MIMO, throughputs would be far better than what MobileWiMAX can deliver…With respect to outdoor mobile broadband environments, users would expect Mobile WiMAX to seamlessly hand off to cellular networks in the absence of WiMAX reception. In reality this is not possible as mobile WiMAX is not backward compatible with existing cellular technologies.” (Centre Daily)

By their diagnosis, the future of mobile WiMax seems bleak indeed. However, the image they portray may be oversimplified to WiMax’s disfavor. For instance, most next-generation broadband technologies will radically change modes of operation, making them incompatible with prior hardware. And before you ask, yes, in this club is the much-championed LTE. So in any discussion of new mobile technology, upgrading existing equipment is almost a given. It’s certainly much more of an industry-wide hurdle than, as Frost & Sullivan make it seem, an obstacle of WiMax exclusively. And already the industry is moving towards a solution, with talks of multimode.

As for the talk of the 802.11n standard of WiFi: last I heard, parts of the standard were still under patent in Australia, and requests for Letters of Assurance were ignored. That’s not a good portent for the standard’s likelihood of approval, as fast as it may be. I’d much rather look to WiMax, which is set to launch in its first large U.S. metropolitan area, Baltimore, in September.

The WiMAX Forum has recently granted eight mobile WiMAX products with their certified seal of approval. According to Dr. Mohammad Shakouri, WiMAX Forum Board Member and Vice President of Marketing:

This is a major milestone for WiMAX Forum. The industry has moved from standardization, to the products, and now commercialization…The biggest challenge for the industry was the ecosystem of vendors building products that can work with each other in a real open environment. This was the biggest hurdle that the industry was able to overcome, to be able to get multivendor products, and building real products. Overall we are seeing good industry traction. We are excited that after all of these years, we are now starting to see real products. This is the proof, the industry is maturing, and we’re not talking about paper works anymore.

Obtaining interoperability is definitely a step towards success for WiMAX but many are less optimistic and excited than Shakouri. The development of WiMAX has been slow despite the need for first mover advantage over LTE, and the certification for WiMAX products has been impatiently awaited by vendors. Unfortunately, the eight products announced as certified by the WiMax Forum only support 2.3GHz and Wave 1. The 2.3GHz frequency is used in Korea, but the rest of the world will probably use either 2.5GHz or 3.5GHz. With Wave 1, the eight certified products will only support basic features so vendors are pushing for the WiMAX Forum to certify products that support Wave 2 especially since network installation has begun for some. While it is very exciting that certification is happening, when it comes to WiMAX, everything needs to be faster.

Since the introduction of the mobile phone, the land-line telephone has slowing become an endangered species. The addicting Blackberry is quickly settling itself as “man’s best friend.” As life moves faster, we are predisposed to demand services and products that satisfy our on-the-go attitude.

In line with such a demand, NextWave Wireless, Inc has just recently launched MXtv. Wireless Design and Development Asia describes MXtv as:

“a breakthrough mobile multicast and broadcast technology that enables WiMAX operators to deliver a broad range of rich and personalized multimedia services including mobile TV, interactive media services, and digital audio without having to invest in new spectrum or additional radio access network equipment… With the unique ability to interleave broadcast content with voice and data content in each user transmission, MXtv enables WiMAX network operators to maximize service revenues by allowing them to dynamically optimize the mix of voice, data, and broadcast services on each RF carrier based on user demand, service pricing and advertising revenue. Furthermore, over 300 high fidelity radio broadcast channels or any combination of mobile TV, personalized radio, voice and data services can be offered in the same 10 MHz of spectrum”.

Having already affected the entertainment and media industry, it will be interesting to see how advertising will adapt to the speedy growth of mobile technology. With the introduction of MXtv, WiMAX has the potential to enable video delivery and thus commercials/video advertisements. Consumer’s ability to receive mobile TV and personalized radio on their mobile devices can improve the personalization or customization of entertainment and media directed toward individual users. While the ability to tailor advertisements and the reach of those advertisements may at first thought seem like a dream come true. The actual implementation of such a dream will be a challenge for advertisers and marketers to do successfully. As the customer population becomes more and more segmented by the personalization of media, advertising becomes more complicated. Still, it is interesting to explore the potential impact of WiMAX will have outside of the technology industry.

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.

InformationWeek reports that Intel, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Network demonstrated an early version of a Wi-Fi/WiMAX network solution at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The technology is designed to allow mobile devices to seamlessly move from a Wi-Fi connection to a WiMAX connection with no disruption in internet access.  It works by responding to several different triggers; for example, a weakening Wi-Fi signal. Before the Wi-Fi signal is entirely lost, one is able to simultaneously connect to a WiMAX signal, leaving any online work unaffected by the switchover.

The article goes on to state the value of such a development:

Such anywhere, anytime connectivity is pivotal to mainstream adoption of future Internet-enabled devices, capable of accessing multimedia and other services over the Web. Intel and other companies are investing billions in the technology needed to build and support such devices, which are the future of mobile computing, proponents say.

Technologies like this are pivotal in terms of dual access, especially in moving some out of the familiarity of Wi-Fi into the still-somewhat-unfamiliar realm of WiMAX connectivity. But perhaps most valuable is the seamless quality of what Intel and Nokia are developing and what that will mean for mobile access.

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.

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.

3G (third-generation wireless): The generic term for the next generation of mobile communications networks. 3G technology is commonly described as graceful enhancements to the GSM cellular standards; the GSM networks are intended to be upgraded to 3G networks without service interruption.

3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project): A collaboration agreement that was established in December 1998 by standards bodies in Europe, Japan, China, North America and South Korea. The scope of 3GPP was to create a globally applicable 3G mobile-phone system that would fit into the International Telecommunications Union’s International Mobile Telecommunications-2000, or IMT-2000, project. 3GPP specifications are based on evolved GSM specifications, now generally known as the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) system.

802.16d: Strictly speaking, 802.16d has never existed as a standard. The standard is correctly called 802.16-2004. However, since this standard is frequently called 802.16d, that usage also takes place in this article to assist readability.

802.16e: Just as 802.16d has never existed, a standard called 802.16e hasn’t either. It’s an amendment to 802.16-2004, so is not a standard in its own right. It’s properly referred to as 802.16e-2005.

BREW (Binary Runtine Environment for Wireless): Developed by wireless-technology specialist Qualcomm to provide a standard set of application-programming interfaces for developers to easily add new features and applications to Qualcomm-based wireless hardware. BREW makes it possible for developers to create portable applications that will work on any handset equipped with CDMA chipsets.

CDMA (code division multiple access): A packet-based wireless-access technology that was improved and commercialized by Qualcomm. CDMA is used in certain cellular phone systems and in some wireless local-area networks, or WLANs. The major benefit of CDMA is increased capacity, up to 20 times that of analog service.

CDMA increases capacity through more efficient use of spectrum. Specifically, it permits many radios to share the same frequency channel. Unlike TDMA (time division multiple access), a competing system used in GSM, all radios using CDMA can be active all the time because network capacity does not directly limit the number of active radios. Since larger numbers of phones can be served by smaller numbers of cell sites, CDMA-based standards have a significant economic advantage over older, TDMA-based standards.

CDMA2000 (CDMA version of IMT-2000 standard): A family of 3G mobile telecommunications standards that use CDMA. CDMA2000 is an incompatible competitor of the other major 3G standard, known as WCDMA and UMTS.

CPEs (Customer-premises equipment or customer-provided equipment): is any terminal and associated equipment and inside wiring located at a subscriber’s premises and connected with a carrier’s telecommunication channel(s) at the demarcation point which is established in a building or complex to separate customer equipment from telephone company equipment.

DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld): The latest development within the set of DVB transmission standards, which can be used by mobile operators to multicast digital television signals to mobile handsets. DVB-H technology adapts the DVB system for transmission of digital television to handheld, battery-powered receivers.

Commercial launches of DVB-H services are expected in 2006 in Italy, and the Crown Castle International’s Modeo is building a U.S. overlay network based on DVB-H that it hopes to sell to mobile operators. Nokia, Intel and Motorola have formed an alliance to promote the standard.

EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Environment): A digital mobile-phone technology that acts as a bolt-on enhancement to 2G (second-generation) and 2.5G General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks. This technology works in TDMA and GSM networks. EDGE (also known as EGPRS) can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it, provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrades.

EDGE can offer Internet connectivity and high-speed data applications such as video services and other multimedia benefits. It has been touted as the final stage of GSM standards and is intended to support data rates of up to 384kbps. Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile have EDGE networks in the United States.

EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) or 1xEV-DO: A wireless radio broadband data standard adopted by many CDMA mobile-phone service providers in Japan, Korea, Brazil, Israel, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Venezuela and Mexico. It was originally developed by Qualcomm and was standardized by 3GPP as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards.

In the U.S., Verizon Wireless and Sprint have completed significant deployments of 1xEV-DO. Alltel has also deployed EV-DO to a few markets as of January 2006. EV-DO roaming between carriers is currently not available in North America.

Fixed WiMAX: This is a phrase frequently used to refer to systems built using 802.16-2004 (’802.16d’) as the air interface technology.

Fixed Wireless Broadband: Service similar to traditional fixed-line broadband, but delivered wirelessly

FLO (Forward Link Only): A technology developed by Qualcomm and commercialized by a division of the company called MediaFlo. FLO is a multicast technology that was designed to increase the capacity and reduce the cost of delivering video, audio and other content to large numbers of users simultaneously.

It transmits packets using OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), a modulation technology that sends multiple signals at different frequencies to get the maximum use out of spectrum bandwidth. It was designed for markets where dedicated spectrum is available and where regulations permit high-power transmission from one or a small number of towers. FLO is also complementary to existing cellular networks using the CDMA2000, EV-DO or WCDMA cellular links. FLO is intended to be an alternative to other multimedia multicasting technologies, such as DVB-H.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service): A mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile phones. It is often described as 2.5G–that is, a technology between the second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) of mobile telephony. It provides moderate-speed data transfer by using unused TDMA channels in the GSM network.

GSM (Global System Mobile Communications): The standard digital cellular phone service that you will find in Europe, Japan, Australia and elsewhere. GSM is also used in the U.S., but it uses a different frequency than that in other parts of the world. Cingular supports GSM.

HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access): A new mobile-telephony protocol that’s often called 3.5G or 4G Internet. Its purpose is to increase the download speeds of the WCDMA networks. Other technologies it competes with include CDMA2000 1x (or CDMA2000 1xEV-DO), as well as data communication standards such as WiMax.

Cingular announced in December that it plans to deploy UMTS with expansion to HSDPA in 18 markets. By the end of 2006, Cingular will have UMTS service in the top 100 markets in the United States. Cingular currently has 16 cities using HSDPA with speeds of 400kbps to 700kbps under the brand name BroadbandConnect. Cingular faces competitive pressure from operators such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint, which are using EV-DO.

HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access): A data access protocol for mobile-phone networks that aims to increase upload speeds of WCDMA networks. As they do with HSDPA, some people refer to HSUPA as 3.5G or 4G mobile Internet. While most Internet applications, such as Web surfing, music and video downloads, and e-mail, rely heavily on downlink speeds, applications such as video conferencing also require fast upload speeds. The specifications for HSUPA are still under development.

IEEE: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE is an international non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity. IEEE’s Constitution defines the purposes of the organization as “scientific and educational, directed toward the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering, as well as computer science, the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences.”

MIMO (multiple input, multiple output): Refers to the use of more than one antenna to send and receive two or more unique data streams over the same channel simultaneously in wireless devices, resulting in networks with long ranges and high throughputs. It is currently the primary basis for the proposed 802.11n wireless transmission standard. In some cases, wireless networks using MIMO technology can reach more than 300 feet and still send and receive data at 30mbps.

Mobile Broadband: Brings fixed broadband services into new environments (portability). It allows one to connect to a network for various locations via different base stations. It also allows one to maintain connections while moving at vehicular speeds.

Mobile WiMAX: A phrase frequently used to refer to systems built using 802.16e-2005 as the air interface technology. “Mobile WiMAX” implementations are therefore frequently used to deliver pure fixed services.

TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access): A 3G standard developed by Siemens and Datang of China. TD-SCDMA has spectrum efficiency (a measure of the number of users that can receive a transmission in a given geographic area) that makes it appropriate for densely populated regions. The spectral efficiency is three to five times better than GSM.

WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access): Another name for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), a cellular network also referred to as 3GPP. As the name suggests, WCDMA is based on CDMA technology and was envisioned for the next generation of GSM. It’s a European standard designed to support data transmission rates of 144kbps for use in vehicles, 384kbps for pedestrian use and up to 2mbps for use indoors.

WiBro (Wireless Broadband): A wireless broadband Internet technology being developed by Korean telecommunications companies. In February 2002, the Korean government allocated 100MHz of electromagnetic spectrum in the 2.3GHz band, and in late 2004, WiBro Phase 1 was standardized by the TTA (Telecommunications Technology Association) of Korea.

WiBro base stations will offer an aggregate data throughput of 30mbps to 50mbps and allow Internet usage within a radius of 3.1 miles. WiBro uses only licensed radio spectrum, which all but eliminates the chance of interference from other transmissions. SK Telecom and Hanaro Telecom have announced a partnership to roll out WiBro nationwide in Korea, excluding Seoul and six provincial cities, where independent networks will be installed.

Wi-Fi or WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networks): A wireless network based on a series of specifications from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) called 802.11. Wi-Fi uses unlicensed radio frequency, mostly in the 2.4GHz band. It enables a person with a wireless-enabled computer or PDA to connect to the Internet via a wireless access point. The geographical region covered by one or several access points is called a hot spot.

Wi-Fi was intended to be used for mobile devices and local-area networks, but it is now often used for Internet access outdoors. Several cities, including Philadelphia and San Francisco, plan to install citywide Wi-Fi systems for use by all citizens in each municipality.

There are several types of Wi-Fi: 802.11a (offering transmission speeds of 24mbps to 54mbps), 802.11b (6mbps to 11mbps) and 802.11g (24mbps to 54 mbps). 802.11n (50mbps to 100mbps) is a proposed specification that will become a Wi-Fi standard once it’s finalized by the IEEE, and the Wi-Fi Alliance completes its interoperability testing.

WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access): Also known as the IEEE 802.16 group of standards, defines a packet-based wireless technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances. WiMax can be used for a number of applications, including “last mile” broadband connections, hotspots and high-speed connections for businesses. The mobile standard 802.11e was just ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a standards-making body, in January 2006.

WiMax is similar to Wi-Fi in concept, but it has certain features aimed at improving performance and that should permit usage over much greater distances. WiMax supports peak data speeds of about 70mbps, with average user data rates between 1mbps and 10mbps. It uses a combination of licensed and unlicensed bandwidth. Intel, along with several corporate sponsors, is working with the wireless industry to drive deployment of WiMax networks.

WirelessMAN: WirelessMAN is the official name trademarked by the IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards for its wireless metropolitan area network standard (commercially known as WiMax), which defines broadband Internet access from fixed or mobile devices via antennas. Subscriber stations communicate with base-stations that are connected to a core network. This is an alternative to fixed line networks that is simple to build and relatively inexpensive.