BT Eyes Femtocells

The cost of the BT Home Hub is significantly less than 50 percent of what we're being quoted for a femtocell," says Buckley. "The cost model now does not justify me putting a femtocell in the Home Hub.

Choice, competition, innovation: Delivering the benefits of the Digital Dividend | Ofcom

These decisions create new opportunities for a wide range of uses:

1. National digital terrestrial television in standard or high definition. Ofcom has already demonstrated that new High Definition and Standard Definition channels can be delivered on Freeview without the need for any digital dividend spectrum. This was the subject of proposals published by Ofcom on 21 November 2007. In addition, Ofcom will package the cleared spectrum in a way that makes it suitable for more digital terrestrial television, but it will not be reserved for this use.
2. Cognitive radio. This is a new wireless technology that shares with other services by detecting when spectrum is not being used. It is hoped that cognitive radio devices will be able to work together to create so-called ‘mesh networks’ that can support a range of wireless applications such as high-speed broadband access across urban and rural locations. Ofcom is proposing to allow cognitive radio to use the interleaved spectrum provided it can be shown this does not cause interference to other spectrum users.
3. High speed mobile broadband and mobile television. Our market research has found keen interest in high speed mobile broadband. We will package the cleared spectrum in a way that makes it suitable but not reserved for these uses.
4. Local television. Ofcom will auction packages of interleaved spectrum suitable but not reserved for local television in some 25 locations across the UK where there is evidence of demand to provide this type of service.
5. PMSE spectrum users. Ofcom will award most of the available interleaved spectrum by ‘beauty contest’ to a band manager who will be required to manage spectrum for PMSE users. This process will be designed to ensure that the licensee’s interests are aligned with those of PMSE users. The licensee will earn revenue by charging for access to the spectrum but will be required to meet reasonable demand from PMSE users on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. These measures will ensure that PMSE users can continue to access spectrum while moving towards a more market-based approach over time.

Nortel and Qualcomm Lay Foundation for Enhanced Dual-Mode Phone Service Out-of-the-Box

The Testing was conducted using Qualcomm's IMS/VCC device client solution on a Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipset powering a test handset together with Nortel's IMS VCC network solution in Nortel's Ottawa research and development labs. The Nortel VCC network solution is expected to be commercially available from Nortel in the first quarter of 2008. VCC-ready devices are expected to be available from Qualcomm in the market mid 2008.

Ubiquisys and Motive Team to Manage Femtocell Networks of Millions

Ubiquisys Femtocell Management Agent has been successfully verified for Baseline TR-069 Interoperability with Motive Inc.'s Home Device Manager. Ubiquisys has long argued that DSL-type management systems based on the TR-069 standard are the best method to manage millions of residential femtocells. The combination of the Ubiquisys Femtocell Management Agent and Motive's Home Device Manager means that operators can centrally manage their femtocell population, ensuring that the consumers get a genuinely simple experience.

Telecom Italia Dumps UMA for FMC

Unstrung

Telecom Italia Dumps UMA for FMC
December 6, 2007

Telecom Italia SpA has decided not to use unlicensed mobile access (UMA) for its fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) service Unica, and has relaunched the service with a homegrown SIP-based solution.

The operator made the technology change because of Italy's regulatory regime and the limited availability of UMA-enabled handsets.

Telecom Italia launched a limited commercial FMC service earlier this year with UMA network controllers from Motorola Inc.. But the service got tangled up in a regulatory tussle -- along with Vodafone Italy 's home zone service -- at national regulator Agcom .

WiMAX on the ropes?

The announcement that Verizon has chosen to use LTE/SAE (also known as Evolved Packet System by 3GPP) is a blow to mobile WiMAX (IEEE802.16e-2005). It also casts a shadow over the future of QUALCOMM'S UMB technology.

Now with Sprint declaring it is interested in spinning off its WiMAX assets, one can only speculate what is the future for a technology that is rapidly being marginalized? Continuing delays in Certification (now looking like 3Q 2008), means that mobile WiMAX is losing its lead over LTE, which will start trials next year. (See NSN Touts 4G post).

Ericsson and QUALCOMM, both of which have declared their support of 3GPP standards and not IEEE standards, must be feeling quietly confident and looking forward to a prosperous New Year!

Sprint Looking To Divest WiMax Business

Ever since former CEO Gary Foresee's departure, one of the biggest questions on the minds of Sprint investors and others has been on the future of Sprint's planned WiMax build-out. It has been on shaky ground over the last month, though Saleh has on several occasions said that Sprint remains committed to WiMax. Now it looks as if Sprint might be kicking WiMax to the curb.

Sprint and Clearwire recently put the kibosh on plans the two companies had drawn up to cover more than 100 million people with WiMax. The companies had never signed a definitive agreement, and mounting pressure from Sprint's investors was just one reason that led to the annulment of the agreement.

Saleh reiterated to the investors that Sprint is mulling its options, but has a team studying the idea of a sale. What company or entity Sprint would sell its WiMax network to is unknown. Such a move would have several large consequences.

NSN Touts Tier 1 4G Trials

NSN says its partner Panasonic Mobile Communications Co. Ltd. , with which it is developing LTE (Long Term Evolution) base station products, has been chosen for DoCoMo's Super 3G (LTE) Base Station project. (See DoCoMo Does LTE With NSN.)

Qualcomm, Nortel Team On Dual-Mode Phone Service -- Cell Phone -- InformationWeek

The companies tested Nortel's IP Multimedia Subsystem-based Voice Call Continuity network application and Qualcomm's chipset that uses the IP Multimedia Subsystem and Voice Call Continuity device client. Both technologies are based on standards defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project organization.

UMB Dies, Mobile WiMAX Chokes

Qualcomm and Intel were dealt a blow on Thursday when Verizon Wireless, the second largest US mobile phone operator, said it would start trials in 2008 of a rival fourth-generation network standard.

Verizon is backing the Long Term Evolution standard, which is being developed by suppliers including Ericsson, Sony-Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens and Nortel, dubbed the Third Generation Partnership Project. This grouping also includes mobile operators Vodafone, China Mobile, Orange and T-Mobile.

picoChip Intros Single-Chip WiMAX Wave 2 and IO-MIMO Femtocell Reference Design

Paul Senior, CTO of Airspan commenting on the current development said, “Once more, picoChip demonstrates the power of its software-defined architecture, and we are delighted to be working as partners.” He further added, “The efficiency of the single-chip solution is attractive, furthermore the ability to seamlessly upgrade our current Wave 1 designs to Wave 2 and full MIMO in both uplink and downlink, gives us a significant advance in performance and capability over alternative solutions.”

SK Telecom Unwillingly Expands WiBro Service

Despite the sluggishness of WiBro service which has attracted less than 1,000 subscribers so far, SK Telecom reluctantly expands the business under pressure from the government. The company established an exclusive team for WiBro to widen the service coverage and run a promotion campaign.

The new team under the marketing division will draw up the mid-long term WiBro business plan, find new business models and do the groundwork for WiBro marketing.

ITU World Radiocommunication Conference Adopts Wireless Spectrum Treaty

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) concluded its deliberations with the adoption of an international treaty to meet the global demand for radio-frequency spectrum.

http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/36.html

Bubbly Forecast

If you believe that LTE, UMB and WiMAX will inherit the earth and will have 250 million subscribers by 2012, then he is right. But mobile WiMAX will not get underway until 2009 because there are no Certified devices outside Korea. LTE may start in Japan in 2010 but more likely 2012 in most other countries. Will UMB ever get going? The jury is out. So 250 million subs in-not 5 years-but in 2 or 3 years from service launch. Seems plausible given that GSM added 2 billion users in 10 years, or an average 200 million a year.But UMTS is not growing as fast with only 70 million new subs a year. Even so if LTE and WiMAX between them put on 70 million subs a year, in three years that's 210 million, not far short of the bubbly prediction.

Vanu, Inc. and Mid-Tex Cellular Launch Cellular Industry's First System to Simultaneously Operate CDMA and GSM on a Single Platform

Traditionally, cellular operators use single standard, high-cost infrastructure that requires dedicated hardware and duplicates operating expense for each wireless standard that is deployed. With the Vanu Anywave solution, Mid-Tex Cellular built one RAN to accommodate both GSM and CDMA, and the same platform will enable the addition of 3G technologies via remote software downloads. The download of CDMA has allowed Mid-Tex to evaluate the standard's performance, including roaming revenue potential, without a large capital outlay.

Qualcomm Introduces Gobi Global Mobile Internet & GPS Solution for Notebook Computers

Qualcomm Press Center- Qualcomm Introduces Gobi Global Mobile Internet & GPS Solution for Notebook Computers

WiMAX Ecosystems

WiMAX roundup: Part 3: Evolving ecosystems | Wireless Net DesignLine

ITU Approves WiMAX (IEEE Std 802.16) as Official IMT-2000 Interface

The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly granted final approval of an update to Recommendation ITU-R M.1457, the IMT-2000 specification to include a new sixth radio interface, “IMT-2000 OFDMA TDD WMAN”, that is based on the IEEE Standard 802.16, making IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) part of the IMT-2000 family. The announcement was issued today to IEEE members by Roger B. Marks, Chair, IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access.

Ofcom: no comeback for TV on analogue spectrum | The Register

Delivering the Ofcom annual lecture on Tuesday evening, the regulator's chief executive Ed Richards said he was not persuaded that TV should be allowed to use the "digital dividend" for high-definition programming. Instead, he spoke of the "golden opportunity" of using more efficient MPEG4 compression and the DVBT2 broadcast standard to squeeze HD channels into the existing Freeview band.

WiMAX chipset roundup - Part 1

WiMAX chipset roundup - Part 1 | Wireless Net DesignLine

Alcatel-Lucent Reinforces WiMAX Open CPE Program

Alcatel-Lucent has expanded its interoperability testing (IOT) efforts with Intel to ensure the compatibility of Alcatel-Lucent's WiMAX infrastructure with CPE and consumer electronics devices integrating Intel's latest fixed/mobile WiMAX silicon, the Intel(R) WiMAX Connection 2250 as well as its WiMAX MIMO-capable chipset for mobile devices. Under the successful research and development collaboration and co-marketing agreement Alcatel-Lucent and Intel signed in 2004, the two companies have made strong progress in their joint efforts to promote the WiMAX ecosystem, successfully completing IOT for fixed applications and now engaging in testing of chipsets and infrastructure supporting nomadic and fully mobile services. Devices based upon Intel's WiMAX chipsets are expected to be made available for fixed and nomadic services before the end of 2007, and for mobile services in 2008.

Martin working to revise 700 MHz open-access provisions

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is aggressively pushing for prompt revisions to the 700 MHz open-access rule—even before the agency completes a review of the various regulatory challenges to the full 700 MHz decision, according to industry sources who suggest the behind-the-scenes activity is tied to Verizon Wireless’ lobbying.

Alcatel-Lucent, Kyocera Collaborate on WiMAX Mobile Broadband | Wireless IQ

Alcatel-Lucent and Kyocera Wireless have signed a joint development agreement for the development of end-to-end wireless broadband solutions based on WiMAX technology. The solutions will incorporate Alcatel-Lucent's WiMAX network infrastructure — based on the latest IEEE 802.16e-2005 standards and a variety of wireless end-user devices from Kyocera, including multimode mobile phones, non-traditional wireless devices, wireless PC cards and USB devices for PCs.

Motorola WiMax chip aims at new device market

The chipset, consisting of a baseband modem and a radio reference design, has been tested and verified with WiMax network infrastructure from Motorola and other leading vendors, the company said.The modem is designed for WiMAX 802.16e Wave 1.0 and 2.0 compliance, and supports advanced MIMO matrix A and B antenna configurations.

Verizon Wireless to join Vodafone in upgrade to LTE

Verizon Wireless and Vodafone Group plc will both use Long Term Evolution technology as the 4G evolution path for their respective networks, according to remarks by company executives this week.

Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone, and Verizon Communications Inc. chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg, spoke about the technology choice at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference yesterday. Vodafone and Verizon control Verizon Wireless through a joint venture.

Sarin laid out a path toward LTE evolution within the next three to four years. Vodafone relies on GSM- and HSPA-based technology for wireless high-speed data access in its properties abroad, while Verizon Wireless—45% owned by Vodafone—is a CDMA operator whose most recent network upgrade has been to EV-DO Revision A.

The news marks a serious setback for CDMA backers, as Verizon Wireless is one of the world’s largest supporters of the technology. Indeed, the news puts Ultra Mobile Broadband—which is Rev. C on the CDMA network-upgrade path—into question, as no operator has yet publicly voiced intentions to move toward the technology.

Old mobile spectrum to be freed

If Ofcom's proposals win support, the 900Mhz frequency will be available for three other operators to use and both chunks of spectrum will be allowed to support both second and third generation services.

Owners of the right to use these parts of the spectrum would also be able to trade these rights to other companies.

By lifting restrictions, Ofcom said that operators would be able to boost the data carrying capacities of their 3G networks for relatively little cash.

The emerging Femtocell industry may find these proposals somewhat disconcerting as the key application is to improve indoor coverage of 3G services. (The other benefit is to allow fixed-mobile substitution and carry data traffic over the fixed broadband network).

Sprint: 700 MHz Spectrum Not All That Important for WiMax

That's not to say Sprint's not interested in the upcoming auction. Gude quickly pointed out that if, in the future, Sprint was able to get its hands on some of that sweet 700, the company would certainly make use of it for coverage purposes. At the same time, he warned: "if you only have 700, you've got a big problem because you can't get the depth of coverage to deliver that broadband experience. And then you start cell splitting and you start cell splitting to generate more capacity…"

Intel WiMAX chips finally on the table - 20 Sep 2007 - Information technology news - NZ Herald

Opening Intel's annual developer forum in San Francisco yesterday, chief executive Paul Otellini said he expected 1.3 billion people to be in range of WiMAX wireless broadband networks by 2012, up from 750 million in 2010 and 150 million next year.

Samsung Invests in UK 3G / WiMax Player

"Our strategic investment in picoChip represents Samsung's commitment to advanced wireless," said Brian Kang, principal investment manager at Samsung Ventures America. "picoChip is a key player with leading edge solutions for both WiMAX and femtocells, and we are delighted to be working with them as we address these growing wireless markets."

Ericsson modules challenge Qualcomm, WiMax

Ericsson AB has developed its first module to bring high-speed cellular data to notebooks and other client devices, challenging a market where Qualcomm reigns and crossing swords at the Intel Developer Forum with Intel which is promoting adoption of WiMax. The Swedish base station giant aims to accelerate adoption of cellular data use, especially in laptops and home routers.

The Ericsson F3507 module delivers High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) at rates of 7.2 Mbits/second for a downlink and 2 Mbits/s for an uplink. The mini PCI device includes a third-party global positioning system chip and consumes a total 2W peak.

Ericsson aims to compete on price with Qualcomm when the modules ship in January. The company would not disclose its target price yet, but said its strong patent position and use of mainly in-house chips would make its costs significantly lower than competitors such as Novatel and Sierra Wireless who buy chips and pay significant royalties to Qualcomm.

Big-name vendors lined up to offer WiMAX laptops | Channel Register

Intel will ship Montevina in May 2008, the chip giant's CEO, Paul Otellini, revealed today. He also re-stated the company's belief that WiMAX, not HSUPA/HSDPA-augmented 3G, is the wireless technology that will bring mobile broadband to the masses.

Sequans and Celestica Release Integrated Baseband and RF Solution for Large Mobile WiMAX Base Stations

The solution integrates Sequans' new baseband Mobile WiMAX chip, the SQN2130, the first Mobile WiMAX base station MAC/PHY in the market, with Celestica's open base station architecture initiative (OBSAI)-compliant Remote Radio Head (RRH) solution accelerator platform - providing a total solution for manufacturers of large Mobile WiMAX base stations. OBSAI standards have been established to create an open market for cellular base stations.

Sprint Launches Femtocell-Based FMC Solution | PwC CommunicationsDirectNews.com

Sprint has announced the launch of a fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) solution using a Femtocell system called the Airave. Targeted at users with patchy indoor reception, the service will also provide an FMC solution by providing unlimited incoming and outgoing calls, but only for calls initiated within range of the Airave router. The equipment is a re-branded version of the CDMA Ubicell Femtocell base station from Samsung, which will cost US$49.99 to buy, plus US$15 per month for a single user or US$30 per month for multiple (family) users.

Telsima Announces Shipment of 10,000 Base Station Sectors; Details Innovative Mobile WiMAX Strategy and Product Portfolio

Telsima is now delivering the full spectrum of Mobile WiMAX products for end-to-end Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks. The Telsima line of StarMAX products is IEEE 802.16e-2005 compliant and supports 450 MHz, 2.5GHz, 3.3GHz and 3.5GHz bands. It includes ASN-GW, TRUFLE ASN-CS, Mobile WiMAX Macro and Pico base stations, Tier 1 proven Network Management System, Indoor and Outdoor Modems and PC Cards.

Telsima has also developed a new architecture called TRUFLE™ ASN for migration to Mobile WiMAX networks for those operators who have a need to serve fixed and mobile users with the same WiMAX network. TRUFLE ASN allows for operators to profitably operate 802.16e network with fixed and mobile users and to migrate to a fully Mobile WiMAX network based on their business needs. This new architecture, which is currently being field-tested by Tier-1 operators, is NWG compatible – allowing operators to upgrade the network to Profile A or C compliant Mobile WiMAX while leveraging their initial infrastructure investment.

Nokia To Launch WiMAX Handsets

The next generation of Nokia’s Internet Tablet will feature the long-range wireless broadband technology known as WiMAX, the latest push by the Finnish cell phone maker to develop an all-in-one handset.

The company, which controls about one-third of the worldwide mobile phone market, said it had already signed a deal with U.S. carrier Sprint to make the new tablets available to subscribers in the first half of 2008.

3G LTE and SIP Capability to Dominate Mobile Markets

UMTS Long Term Evolution (LTE) will dominate the world’s mobile infrastructure markets after 2011, according to a recent study from ABI Research. While LTE will encounter competition from other mobile broadband technologies, its supporters point to its flat architecture, low latency, and IP NGN (Next-Generation Network) capability to provide a range of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) services.

Speed bumps on the road to hi-tech heaven

The card uses High Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) an upgrade for third-generation mobile networks.

Its theoretical maximum speed is 14.4 mbps - much faster than most fixed line broadband connections.

The highest speed currently available in the UK is 3.6mbps - offered by several networks including T-Mobile and Vodafone.

In practice I've yet to achieve half of that.

What now for US WiMAX spectrum?

Much has changed in the last twelve months. Firstly, the FCC opened 50 MHz in the 3.65 GHz band for "non-exclusive access" while not exactly "free" or protected spectrum, it is a significant improvement over the prospects of 5.8 GHz use (popular as unlicensed backhaul or in Wi-Fi-related operations). There are many ways an operator might weave this spectrum into their business plans (rural, first mover, low cost per sub, best effort residential, roaming, etc). One ultimate conclusion to take away from these developments: don't speculate on spectrum! The 2.5 GHz WiMAX hegemony predicted for Sprint Nextel and Clearwire may not happen given potential competition from competitors on other bands which may allow any variety of competitive advantages (better propagation on 700 MHz, "free" spectrum on 3.65 GHz, for example) to those operators (the stuff for a detailed competitive analysis for vendor and service provider, alike).

Google is the real WiMAX news

While Google is not expected to build and operate a WiMAX network themselves, the 600-pound gorilla would profit from their portal-like services (including VoIP) being the first thing the user saw when activating their 700 MHz WiMAX subscriber device. Any operator partnering with Google would have to build to please Google. Just as cellular service is based on the application (circuit switched voice done on a PSTN switch) and not the physical layer access (wireless), Google services just might be the most powerful driver for 700 MHz WiMAX services based on an open architecture, internet-centric business model (horizontally organized as opposed to a 19th century vertical organization a la cell phone structure).

IMT Advanced

Recent research :

* Two widely expected requirements for beyond 3G technologies are that they be OFDMA-based, and that they support 100 Mbps for wide area mobile applications.
* With the dominant worldwide technology currently being GSM/EDGE, and HSPA and EV-DO handsets not expected to be important until 2012, beyond 3G technology roll-outs will most likely start in the 2010-2012 timeframe.
* It is widely believed that mobile operators will initially deploy beyond 3G cautiously, relying on their EV-DO or HSPA networks to provide ubiquitous coverage.
* Drivers of LTE, UMB and 802.16m WiMAX adoption will include the following: the re-allocation of older spectrum for IMT Advanced technologies; the resolution of any WiMAX IPR issues; the creation of FDD profiles for 802.16e WiMAX; the uptake rate of 802.16e in Mobile PCs; the uptake rate of 3G cellular in Mobile PCs; the continued evolution of the mobile handset; and an increase in the uptake rate of wireless broadband technologies into portable CE devices.

WiMAX networks will fly with 700Mhz spectrum: EW reader

However, come 2009/2010, if the partnership between Google and Sprint pans out and they win a nationwide slice of the 700Mhz spectrum they will upgrade their 2.5Ghz WiMAX network to 700Mhz and begin to dominate the broadband wireless business. This to include many DSL, cable modem and most cell carriers data networks.

Watch this auction, it will be spectacular as the big deep pocket firms beat each other up and the US Congress will smile.

FTTH will be the only viable wired network standing come 2015, with Gig to each premises and 100Gbit/s backbones.

Decision to make The Wireless Telegraphy (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations 2007 | Ofcom

Decision to make The Wireless Telegraphy (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations 2007 | Ofcom

Market-Ready Mobile WiMAX To Deliver UK Wireless Broadband

Nortel and Urban Wimax today launched a 'cross-market collaboration' to prove the technical deliverability of 4G mobile WiMAX in mature 3G markets such as Western Europe, ahead of the UK's spectrum auction in early 2008.

The collaboration, through which companies will be brought together to construct and trial a user-ready WiMAX service, will demonstrate that the technology and a proven delivery chain are in place to provide the UK with a robust '4G' service using WiMAX connectivity.

EU seeks more radio frequencies for wireless services — EUbusiness - EU business, legal and financial news and information - EUbusiness.com

The Commission wants EU radio spectrum rules to be changed so that operators could offer such services at the 900 and 1800 megahertz frequencies currently reserved for voice calls under the 1987 GSM law.

By bringing down the cost of offering third-generation mobile services, the Commission hopes that companies would be encouraged to develop such technologies, which have found little popularity so far.

The use of lower frequencies would also give third-generation services broader geographical coverage, which would likely boost their popularity as well.

"Radio spectrum is a crucial economic resource which must be properly managed across Europe to unlock the potential of our telecoms sector," said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding.

Frontline Wireless

Frontline Wireless || Vision

Clearwire, Sprint Nextel In Pact To Team Up On WiMax Network

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire will market mobile WiMax service under a common brand.

FemtoForum

The Femto Forum is a not-for-profit membership organisation founded in 2007 to promote femtocell deployment worldwide. Comprised of mobile operators, telecoms hardware and software vendors and innovative start-ups, its mission is to advance the development and adoption of femtocell products and services as the optimum technology for the provision of high-quality 2G/3G coverage and premium services within the residential market.

Femtocell flurry

Founder members of the Femto Forum are Airvana, ip.access, Netgear, picoChip, RadioFrame, Tatara and Ubiquisys, although Saunders insisted that there are 60-plus organisations interested in membership.

Nokia Siemens Networks: Introduces a 3G Femto Home Access solution

Trials of the 3G Femto Home Access solution will start at the beginning of 2008, and commercial deployments are planned for the third quarter of 2008.

ip.access participates in SoftBank femtocell proof of concept

Operators all over the world have expressed huge interest in femtocells, but the announcement of SoftBank’s proof of concept tests mark the beginning of a new phase in the development of this technology. Japanese operators and mobile customers are renowned for their exacting technical standards. ip.access’ participation in SoftBank’s proof of concept helps to demonstrate the value of femtocells, and the Oyster3G product, to some of the world’s most demanding, and knowledgeable, consumers of mobile services.

Motorola Selected by SOFTBANK to Demonstrate UMTS/HSxPA Femto-cell Based Seamless Mobility

The proof-of-concept demonstration is part of joint developments by Motorola and SOFTBANK to lead the industry trend in the deployment home-based cellular stations. In July last year, Motorola and SOFTBANK partnered to launch a mobile WiMAX (IEEE802.16e-2005) trial network in Tokyo.

Team to Develop 3G Femtocell Home Gateway

This gateway device will offer mobile operators worldwide a single-box, converged solution at a competitive price. It is anticipated that the NETGEAR gateway integrating Ubiquisys' femtocell technology will be available for operator testing by Q4 2007, with commercial availability slated for early 2008.

WiMax/Broadband Wireless - Vodafone's WiMax Creep - Wireless News Analysis

While Vodafone's small-scale Maltese deployment is unlikely to cause meltdown in the mobile network infrastructure community, it could be seen as a shot across the bows of vendors perceived to be dragging their heels over the development of long-term evolution (LTE), or 4G, products -- especially as Vodafone is now involved in WiMax activities in Bahrain, France, Greece, New Zealand, and South Africa, too, either directly or through affiliates.

Nortel WiMAX Ecosystem Promotes Global WiMAX Growth

Among others, Nortel will work with ZyXEL, Runcom (News - Alert), and Sequans to offer service providers a variety of end-to-end WiMAX solutions. Through its collaboration with ZyXEL, these solution offerings will include ZyXEL PCMCIA cards and customer premises equipment (CPE), such as indoor and outdoor residential gateways, which will be bundled for sale with Nortel’s WiMAX infrastructure technology.

Femto With WiMax

Silicon could be key in enabling a multi-radio mini-base station. Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM - message board) has already started to express an interest in developing chips for this type of application. Major players such as Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN - message board), as well as smaller companies like PicoChip Designs Ltd. , are already working on dedicated femtocell chipsets. Meanwhile, RadioFrame is extending its own OmniFrame silicon to support WiMax. (See Qualcomm's Home Invasion.)

WiMAX in Europe Facing a Brighter Future Where Technology-Neutral Spectrum Is Available

The European Commission and several national regulators, including Norway, Sweden, and the UK, want the situation to change, as does the WiMAX Forum. The ITU has now also agreed that OFDM-based technologies should be included in the IMT2000 standard. This will place mobile WiMAX on the same footing as 3G mobile when it comes to using the 3G extension bands and, potentially, existing 3G bands.

"This is a good sign for technology neutrality becoming the accepted approach for spectrum auctions in the future," says ABI Research analyst Ian Cox. "Mobile WiMAX products will start to appear in 2007 and can be used in unpaired spectrum, giving them an opportunity not available to UMTS."

Tatara Systems raises $8m

Tatara Systems, a worldwide leader in mobile services convergence, today announced that it has secured $8 million in additional funding to fuel the company’s growth in the rapidly emerging femtocell market. This investment was led by Highland Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, two leading firms with extensive experience investing in communications equipment, network infrastructure, and software.

Kineto Wireless and NEC Femtocell Collaboration

NEC will integrate Kineto’s UMA Network Controller (UNC) into NEC’s Home Gateway
Solution.

Sprint's WiMAX Effort to Focus on Devices

This, of course, is all in the future. Sprint’s job now—in addition to testing the capabilities of its mobile WiMAX vendors Samsung, Motorola and Nokia Siemens Networks and building out the initial networks—is “explaining the difference between mobilizing the Internet and a mobile voice network. We’re not ready yet to come out with our plans. We’ll do that much nearer to launch date,” he said.

What’s Up with U.S. WiMax?

“In the U.S., the number of laptop users using even EV-DO is not that high,” she says, referring to the 3G technology deployed in several cities not only by Sprint but also by Verizon Wireless. She thinks, despite a lack of numbers from the two carriers, the number of users is probably around 2 million. “To justify a country-wide network for that few is a difficult proposition.”

NXTCOMM: Wireless Is a Hot Topic at NxtComm

Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers gave a wide-ranging address focusing on how an increase in collaborative applications through the Internet, as well as a steady surge in video traffic, will drive 300-500% in network growth per year. Chambers, who noted that video traffic is currently pushing sales of large Cisco routers, predicts that the broadband traffic from just 20 U.S. homes in 2010 will be more than the traffic of the entire Internet backbone in 1995.

Samsung Unveils Newly-Developed Mobile WiMAX Systems

Korea NewsWire

Ofcom considers allowing UK Broadband to offer mobile WiMax across the UK :: PublicTechnology.net :: e-Government & public sector IT news + job vacanc

UK Broadband’s current licence permits the company to operate broadband fixed wireless access in the 3.5 GHz band. The company has asked Ofcom to vary its licence to make it technology and service neutral, giving it greater flexibility over how it can use the radio spectrum. It has also sought an increase in its permitted power levels.

Sprint Explores Options for WiMax

Sprint Nextel Corp. is exploring new options for financing its ambitious plan to build a wireless broadband network known as WiMax, including forming a partnership or joint venture with cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw and seeking an infusion of cash from cable providers, people familiar with the matter say.

The steps are partly an effort to soothe investor concerns about the cost of the WiMax plan. Sprint has committed to spending about $3 billion through next year to build a network that will offer high-speed wireless Internet access to 100 million people.

Mobile WiMAX Maven Clearwire Cuts Satellite Deals

Clearwire, which is betting its life on the success of 'mobile WiMAX,' this morning said that it has signed marketing pacts with both U.S. direct-to-home (DTH) satellite video vendors, DirecTV and Dish owner EchoStar Communications.

AT&T to Run with LTE

AT&T's Chris Hill, vice president of Government Solutions for Mobility, commented during an interview at the Wireless Communications Association (WCA) conference that, "LTE provides similar throughputs, so we're taking a wait-and-see approach to WiMAX. We just don't see the value proposition for mobile WiMAX."

Femtocells to Dominate Fixed-Mobile Convergence Market

Mobile operators are now making key and far-ranging decisions about the future of their consumer fixed-mobile convergence services. While enterprise FMC services are clearly following the route of VCC- and SIP-enabled solutions, consumer FMC services will take one of two major paths, based on each mobile operator's view of the market, and the nature of its existing network assets.

According to ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis, "Today, consumer FMC services that are based on Wi-Fi use UMA to manage the connection choice and handover between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. These services are ramping up quickly in Europe, due to intense competition between Orange, BT, and other mobile operators. In North America, T-Mobile USA is about to go nationwide with its UMA-based FMC service as well."

"However," adds research director Stuart Carlaw, "mobile operators such as Vodafone, SFR, Softbank, and Sprint are at the leading edge among carriers exploring femtocell technologies. With their ability to work with any handset, and their potential for encouraging high data use, femtocells are very attractive when compared to VCC and UMA-based Wi-Fi services."

Mobile WiMAX, MIMO-Based Coverage Enhancement Solution Debuts | Wireless IQ

Dekolink Wireless, Ltd. is today announcing an industry-first in-building repeater solution for the WiMAX market. The Deko2425-M WiMAX MIMO-based repeater can be implemented in mobile carriers' and other mobile WiMAX networks in the 2.5-2.7 GHz bands.

KT, LG-Nortel And Nortel Combine Expertise At Mobile Wimax Service Conformance Verification Center

Service Conformance Verification Center. The SCVC is built around Nortel’s WiMAX technology, comprised of Nortel’s WiMAX Base Transceiver Station (BTS) 5000 - a MIMO-powered solution, Access Service Network (ASN) Gateway, Connectivity Service Network (CSN), and WiMAX PCMCIA cards provided by Nortel’s multi-vendor ecosystem members. Nortel recently announced the WiMAX 4G Ecosystem Center of Excellence in Taiwan which will promote interoperability across WiMAX devices and applications such VoIP, video streaming and IPTV.

WRC-07 agenda item 1.4 | Ofcom

Summary of conclusions

1.1 The following points highlight Ofcom's main conclusions on candidate bands following a review of the responses to the consultation it published on WRC 07 agenda item 1.4 on 27 February 2007:

* Ofcom’s preference for the band 470 to 862 MHz is a co-primary mobile allocation in Region 1 in the table of allocations in Article 5 of the Radio Regulations;
* Ofcom supports a co-primary mobile allocation for the sub-band 3400 to 3800 MHz and an identification for IMT coupled with a requirement for an associated Resolution to reflect the need to provide appropriate protection for existing satellite use whilst facilitating access to the band for new use;
* In view of the emerging opposition from various European administrations to the sub-band 3800 to 4200 MHz Ofcom supports a position of no change to the table of allocations;
* For the other candidate bands, we have concluded that there is no need to change the position proposed in the consultation however the UK may wish to consider the merit in signing up to any "no change" proposals developed within Europe.

IEEE802.16 "WiMAX" Software Reference Designs

The solution scales from femtocells through microcells to sophisticated multi-sector basestations, with full support for mobility, MIMO and beam-forming. What’s more, it is completely software upgradeable, from certified 16d to 16e, Wave 2 and MIMO — and with a roadmap to 16j and 16m.

WiMax To Become Part of 3G Umbrella

WiMAX could become a sub-3G technology before 2008 thanks to pre- approval of proposals submitted by the IEEE and the WiMAX Forum to the International Telecommunication Union.

The 22nd meeting of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Working Party 8F (WP 8F) in Kyoto, Japan reached a significant milestone in its work when it forwarded for approval a new terrestrial radio interface for IMT-2000, "OFDMA TDD WMAN" as a specific subset of WiMAX. This new terrestrial radio interface complements the existing family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces and is in direct response to the demands of ITU Members to address the continuously growing wireless marketplace.

IMT-2000 radio interface expanded with OFDMA technology

Geneva, 31 May 2007 - The 22nd meeting of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Working Party 8F (WP 8F) in Kyoto, Japan reached a significant milestone in its work when it forwarded for approval a new terrestrial radio interface for IMT-2000, "OFDMA TDD WMAN" as a specific subset of WiMAX. This new terrestrial radio interface complements the existing family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces and is in direct response to the demands of ITU Members to address the continuously growing wireless marketplace.

WP 8F has delivered a number of key Recommendations and Reports that update and expand the family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces, establish the foundation for IMT-Advanced, and call for additional spectrum for IMT. It has woven together a definition, a recipe, and a roadmap foreseeing the future beyond 3G that is comprised of a balance between a market and services view, a technology view, and a spectrum view. Along with regulatory aspects, these are the key elements for business success in the wireless industry, and ITU-R continues to deliver value to industry and government.

Working under a mandate to address "systems beyond 3G", WP 8F progressed from delivering an initial vision to establishing a name for the future (IMT-Advanced) and set out principles for the process of development of IMT-Advanced. These deliverables stimulated research and development activities worldwide, spawned ideas on potential technologies, and promoted views on spectrum required to address a rapidly growing wireless world.

Clearwire Completes Acquisition of AT&T Mobile WiMAX Spectrum

Clearwire announced the completion of its acquisition of all the 2.5 GHz wireless broadband spectrum previously owned or controlled by AT&T Inc. and the former BellSouth.

With this acquisition and assuming closing of other pending spectrum purchases, Clearwire's U.S. spectrum holdings increased to approximately 14.0 billion MHz-POPs, covering an estimated 223 million people with varying depths of spectrum. In addition, Clearwire holds approximately 8.7 billion MHz-POPs of spectrum in Europe, covering approximately 199 million people. Clearwire holds one of the world's largest portfolios of next-generation wireless broadband spectrum in the frequency bands identified by the mobile WiMAX standard.

True fixed/mobile phone convergence seen years off | Breaking City News | Reuters.co.uk

It will be years before the much-hyped blending of services that run seamlessly over both fixed and mobile phone networks will allow consumers to communicate freely on any device, industry executives say.

Operators have trouble finding customers for combined deals offering fixed and mobile services, which are complicated to set up and lack choice in handsets, industry executives said at a convergence conference in Amsterdam that runs until Thursday.

LTE Could Steal WiMAX's Thunder

5/24/07 - Nearly 300,000 LTE Base Transceiver Stations will be installed by 2014, according to a new study from ABI Research. While LTE will encounter competition from other mobile broadband technologies, its supporters extol its potential to unify the mobile infrastructure market.


LTE brings to the market 25 years of operating experience using TDM and CDMA technology. It aims to use that, combined with OFDM, and other techniques, to provide the best of both worlds, perhaps stealing WiMAX's thunder. This also takes the industry from the current two-network approach of circuit switching for voice, and packet switching for data to a single IP network for both services.

"LTE faces competition from other broadband wireless technologies and it will need to demonstrate clear technical and economic advantages to convince network operators," says ABI Research analyst Ian Cox. "The mobile variant of WiMAX will start to appear in 2007 as the WiMAX Forum Certification program ramps up. The industry is also working on HSPA+, which could offer the same performance in a 5 MHz bandwidth. Without additional spectrum, operators could face a difficult choice."

Cox further comments that, "LTE is the NGN for the mobile industry and is being standardized by 3GPP with the full support of operators via the NGMN Group."

Long Term Evolution (LTE) of 3G technologies is about to benefit from Release-8 of the 3GPP standard, planned for the third quarter of 2007. The potential rewards of LTE are simplicity of operation, a "flat" architecture offering low latency, and spectrum flexibility. Backwards compatibility and roaming with 2G and 3G networks are added bonuses, along with lower power consumption and improved performance, . LTE could also unite the W-CDMA and CDMA communities because of its spectral flexibility.

For vendors, LTE will allow development of a new market to replace declining 3G revenues.

For users, says Cox, LTE will enable broadband services, including VoIP, to be offered over SIP-enabled networks. Each service will be IP-based, offering high data rates and low latency, with on-line gaming becoming a reality along with mobile network data speeds comparable to those of fixed networks.

Airspan WiMAX Plugfest

"With 33 companies participating in this latest WiMAX Forum PlugFest, we are seeing strong growth in the number of interoperable products and increased success during testing," said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum. "Thanks to our member companies and PlugFest attendees, including Airspan, we are on track to begin certifying Mobile WiMAX products later this year. WiMAX Forum Certified mobile products will be interoperable, which is key in order to enhance the user experience while decreasing operator investment and consumer costs for broadband anywhere, anytime."Airspan has attended all of the WiMAX Forum public fixed and mobile PlugFests to date. Airspan has previously announced its intention to seek certification for its Mobile WiMAX versions of HiperMAX, MicroMAX and unique Quad-Band 16eUSB Mobile Station.

ONEMAX IMS Deployment from Veraz

ONEMAX is the first commercial mediacom operator to offer Internet, multimedia and Voice over IP (VoIP) services over mobile WiMAX (802.16e) in the Dominican Republic, and one of the first to offer IMS over WiMAX services in the Americas.This is based on 3GPP IMS release 7. It includes core IMS functionalities, for routing (Call Session & Call Control Function) and customer identification (Home Subscriber Server), plus key IMS service delivery components such as Application Server Function and SCIM (Service Capability Interaction Manager); as well as interconnect functions (PSTN) such as Signaling Gateway Function, and Media Gateway Control Function. Additionally, Veraz integrated this solution with third-party network and management components selected by ONEMAX.

Netherlands Completes First Universal 802.16e2005 WiMAX Trial

5/14/07 - Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Casema, one of the largest cable operators in the Netherlands with more than 1.4 million subscribers, announced that it has successfully tested Universal WiMAX in the Netherlands. Casema is the first operator in the Netherlands to conduct verification testing for WiMAX, and it used the most advanced version, Universal WiMAX 802. 16e-2005.Alcatel-Lucent provided a complete WiMAX solution that operates in the 2.5 GHz frequency band, including base station equipment, wireless access controller, operation and maintenance center, customer premises equipment (CPE) including WiMAX fixed CPE and PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) cards for laptop computers -- to deliver Internet broadband access when on the move. Alcatel-Lucent also provided its advanced WiMAX engineering expertise and integration services.

OTE Begins Nationwide WiMAX Network Buildout for Greece

OTE Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A., Greece's leading telecommunications provider, is testing a wide range of value-added, high bandwidth data communications services over WiMAX to be offered to consumers and enterprises nationwide.

OTE has already begun deployment on a nationwide network with initial projects that target pilot markets in Attica and Mount Athos. These pilot markets, used to evaluate the technology for the nationwide rollout, include approximately 20 access sectors and 200 subscriber units. Designs that include the consideration of 3D vector building databases will be part of the detailed studies used for the evaluation. EDX SignalPro with the Network Design Module was used for these initial network designs and will continue to be used throughout the rest of the deployment and optimization phases.

Unstrung - WiMax/Broadband Wireless - BT Wants WiMax - Wireless News Analysis

U.K. regulator Office of Communications (Ofcom) will auction 215 MHz of spectrum in the 2.6GHz range, which is commonly referred to in Europe as the 3G expansion band, at the end of this year or early next year. Ofcom has not finalized the auction and spectrum specifics, but it proposes that of the 215 MHz of spectrum, between 50 MHz and 190 MHz will be suitable for WiMax. When asked at a recent press briefing about BT's potential involvement in bidding for upcoming 3G expansion spectrum, BT Wholesale chief technology officer Matt Beal said the U.K. carrier "can't afford to think like an incumbent any more. Spectrum is risky... I don't feel I need to have the spectrum to play in WiMax.

European WiMax RFPs heat up

European WiMax RFPs heat up

Swisscom Testing WiMAX for Rural Internet Access

Switzerland's Swisscom says that it is testing the WiMAX wireless standard in the municipality of Boltigen in the canton of Berne. Installations in the first test households are in place and pilot trials are successfully under way. High-speed data transmission via the telephone line cannot be guaranteed in all parts of the country due to topological and technical constraints, hence the trials of the wireless option.

DBD Deutsche Breitband Dienste Expands Network With WiMAX

DBD Deutsche Breitband Dienste GmbH of Germany has placed orders for over 500 additional Airspan WiMAX base stations and a significant number of subscriber terminals.

DBD, Germany's first and largest WiMAX operator, provides broadband access services in the 3.5GHz band for both residential and enterprise customers. DBD has now rolled out services in more than forty networks, the largest deployment being in Berlin.

In addition, DBD is one of the first operators to deploy Airspan's VoiceMAX technology on a WiMAX network. VoiceMAX gives operators the ability to deliver carrier-grade VoIP services through a software suite that provides VoIP admission control, which monitors the user experience of voice calls over WiMAX networks. VoiceMAX enables wireless operators to prevent network congestion and prevents data traffic from degrading voice quality as the network is loaded with IP traffic.

"Airspan's WiMAX products have allowed DBD to strengthen its leadership in rolling out WiMAX broadband infrastructure in Germany," said Eric Stonestrom, Airspan's president and chief executive officer.

UMA Advances Mass-Market Femtocell Deployments | Wireless IQ

Ubiquisys Ltd and Kineto Wireless, Inc. today announced the successful completion of interoperability testing between the UbiquiSys ZoneGate 3G femtocell and Kineto’s UMA network controller.

picoChip Adds CDMA2000, EvDO Support for Femtocells, Picocells | Wireless IQ

picoChip today announced that Global Wireless Technologies (GWT) has developed a hardware reference design and software for CDMA2000 and EvDO femtocells and picocells running on the picoArray processor. This gives picoChip’s customers solutions for all the major standards, WCDMA (HSDPA upgradeable to HSUPA), CDMA2000 and EvDO Rev A, as well as TD-SCDMA and WiMAX, all on a single software-defined hardware platform.

Sprint WiMAX Femto Cells

Sprint has already made it clear that it anticipates that in-building coverage will be an important aspect of its WiMax rollout. "Femtocells are on our radar," says a spokesman for the operator.

Enforta moves to 3.5GHz for WiMAX

The Russian WiMAX operator Enforta has announced plans to launch its first 3.5GHz network early next month. The Dutch-owned company, which trades as Prestige Internet, currently uses the 5.2GHz band for its commercial WiMAX networks in 18 cities. Its new system in the city of Yaroslavl will be the first to use 3.5GHz spectrum, which is one of the standardised bands for WiMAX internationally. Enforta currently claims around 7,500 business customers, ComNews reports.

Intel dumps 3G for WiMax on Centrino,

"You're not going to get a 3G solution from Intel," Eden told CNET.co.uk's sister site ZDNet Australia. "There are 3G solutions from third parties, but if you look at 3G adoption, it's still a one-digit attach rate. We are going to focus on WiMax, which we believe will be a more pervasive solution, and we are trying to work with the ecosystem to accelerate it worldwide."

Phone problems see Motorola loss

It made a $181m (£90.2m) loss between January and March, compared to a $686m profit in the same period last year. Sales fell from $9.6bn to $9.4bn.

HTC S620

Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 5.0 Smartphone with Direct Push technology gives you instant access to your emails, calendar and contacts anytime.

Sprint Taking WiMax Indoors

"We're not building a WiMax network to be another cellular network," Shen says. "We want it to be the future of the mobile Internet."

FT vs BT on FMC

One of the keys to Unik's success in France is the large installed base of the home gateways, which are hooked up to the carrier's DSL service. Each Livebox provides WiFi broadband connectivity in the home and routes mobile calls from dualmode GSM/WiFi handsets over the fixed broadband connection. At the end of 2006, France Telecom had deployed 3.5 million Livebox units in France.

BT launches another FMC proposition for the SME market

Customers signing up for Office Anywhere will receive a Windows Smartphone, the HTC S620, which is loaded with the BT VoIP client (in this case the SIP-based voice over broadband softphone client rather than the mobile-oriented UMA-based BT Fusion client). They can then choose between a range of inclusive data and voice allowances at various tariffs.

WiMax wireless pushed to handle HD TV

Using a tweaked IEEE802.16e setup, Japan Radio Company (JRC) and Runcom Technologies recently showed HD TV video being transmitted at 30Mbit/s, which was more than enough throughput for the high-quality images.

National Grid sells wireless business for £2.5bn

National Grid Wireless is a major provider of infrastructure to mobile operators in the UK, with almost 14,500 sites. Its infrastructure is used by the BBC, Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3, O2, Orange, BSkyB, Channel 4, ITV and Emap. It is to sell its UK Wireless business to Arqiva, a subsidiary of Australia’s Macquarie Bank, for £2.5bn. Arqiva - formerly known as NTL Broadcast – is the BBC’s preferred supplier for distribution and transmission. The deal is expected to require approval by the Competition Commission, because Arqiva and National Grid each own around half the transmission masts used by UK TV and radio stations.

Intel plans WiMAX cameras by 2009

WiMAX cards that fit into a laptop's PC Card slot are already available from manufacturers such as Samsung, and Intel claims we will see WiMAX integrated into laptops in the next generation [of Centrino chips], which is next year.

Intel says we can expect to see WiMAX built into devices such as digital cameras and handheld games consoles as soon as 2009.

Nokia-Siemens sees emerging mkt demand for WiMAX | Technology, Media & Telecommunications | Reuters.co.uk

INTERVIEW-Nokia-Siemens sees emerging mkt demand for WiMAX | Technology, Media & Telecommunications | Reuters.co.uk

In the United States Sprint Nextel (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will invest $3 billion in a WiMAX network in 2007 and 2008. It has picked Nokia Siemens Networks, alongside with Intel (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research), Motorola (MOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Samsung (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) to supply the network.

NSN Starts Operations

Nokia Siemens Networks began operations yesterday with five product business units -- Radio Access, Broadband Access, Service Core and Applications, IP/Transport, and Operations Support Systems -- that provide products and applications for fixed, mobile and converged networks.

Tropos Picocells take on WiMax Macrocells

Tropos Picocells take on WiMax Macrocells

Another approach to broadband wireless coverage in dense urban areas.

WiMAX and LTE

Sprint argues that Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be two years ahead of UMTS LTE.

They are right and that opens the door for WiMAX, apart from the issue of backwards compatibility and spectrum availability.

Sprint to Launch Samsung Femtocell (Phone Scoop)

Samsung this week announced the "UbiCell" - a femotcell product - in both CDMA and WCDMA versions. Femtocells are cellular base stations the size of a wi-fi access point that provide cellular coverage in the home. Sprint is currently wrapping up a trial of the CDMA UbiCell, and plans to launch it in early 2008, according to Samsung. A WCDMA version for America is planned for trials in 2008. The UbiCell connects to the carrier's network via a home broadband connection (DSL or cable.) Phones must be authorized to use the femtocell - meaning the signal is not available to guests or neighbors - although up to four authorized users can use it simultaneously. The CDMA version supports both 850 and 1900 bands, plus EVDO and seamless handoffs to towers on the main network. Users can travel with the UbiCell and use it wherever there is power, broadband, and their carrier has licensed spectrum. A GPS system ensures it does not operate in areas the carrier is not licensed.

Motorola Participating in 25 WiMAX Trials Worldwide

Motorola announced today it has nine contracts for the installation of 802.16e WiMAX networks and is taking part in 25 trials with the technology worldwide, confirming the growth of WiMAX especially in emerging markets. Motorola now has WiMAX trials and deployments underway in six continents.

The newest Motorola WiMAX trial agreement is with TVA, a multi-services operator in Brazil, which will conduct a trial for the use of mobile WiMAX technology (802.16e) in Rio de Janeiro. The solution will cover central Rio and part of the south of the city, providing wireless broadband services with voice, data and multimedia capacity for a select group of users.

The WiMAX platform, including use of the 2.5 GHz spectrum in line with Anatel regulations, enables rapid digital inclusion, as well as an opportunity to provide multimedia (voice, data and image) services. By digitalizing its MMDS (Multipoint Multichannel Distribution System) network, TVA is able to expand its service offering, creating a new model for competition.

In the agreement, Motorola will supply its wi4 WiMAX access points and end user equipment. WiMAX 802.16e permits indoor installation of customer premises equipment without line of sight to the radio base stations, ensuring high user service capacity. The technology also permits high data rates and a wider range of coverage than other currently available technologies.

The trial period will enable TVA to assess the performance of the technology in the differentiated demographic topology of the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the mobile TV, video, VoIP, and media streaming services and data applications.

Ericsson promises 3G data speeds over GSM - 23 Mar 2007 - IT Week

"Ericsson Edge Evolution builds on 3GPP's industry standardisation of agreed technology improvements, and reflects Ericsson's prediction that the current trend towards Edge-capable GSM networks and terminals is set to continue," Ulf Ewaldsson, vice president at Ericsson, said at this year's CeBIT tradeshow.

EDGE Evolution, see my research brief at www.abiresearch.com

Ericsson gives up on WiMAX

Mikael Persson, strategy and business development in Ericsson's Networks business unit is due to deliver a presentation titled "WiMAX, Why Indeed?" at the conference, being held in Dubai 16-17 April, and in the programme notes for the event Ericsson states: "Ericsson has chosen as of December 2006 to discontinue development in WiMAX infrastructure. This presentation will outline some of the key areas Ericsson considered before choosing to abandon this technology in favour of HSPA (high speed packet access). Specific areas for discussion include; historical lessons learnt around establishing a standard to achieving the mass market growth, comparison of physical performance of WiMAX versus HSPA and finally some poignant questions as to the commercial viability of WiMAX, given the ongoing success of HSPA and the needs this platform can deliver to, for operators, developers and end users alike both now and in the future."

Ericsson has just shot itself in the foot with this decision. Or has it?Could it be that LTE is so close to WiMAX that they are interchangeable?

Telmex launches WiMAX service

Telmex Chile has launched its WiMAX network in 15 towns and cities across the country. The network, based on the 802.16e-2005 standard for fixed, nomadic and mobile usage in the 3.5GHz frequency band, uses Alcatel-Lucent's 9100 WiMAX end-to-end solution. The company is initially targeting SMEs with the service, which will include fixed wireless telephony and broadband connectivity. Telmex hopes to expand the service to five more cities in coming weeks and by the end of 2007 expects to have covered 91% of Chile's municipalities. The service starts at CLP19,900(USD37.12) per month.

Airspan Commits to the Future — WIMAX

Airspan Commits to the Future — WIMAX

NEC and Kineto Partner on Femtocell Market

NEC’s UMA-enabled Home Gateway Solution enables mobile operators to deploy a complete end-to-end femtocell solution, from the femtocell CPE to the supporting core infrastructure, which is comprised of the NEC Home Gateway Network Controller (HGNC). Based on Kineto’s industry leading UNC, the HGNC enables mobile operators to leverage the 3GPP UMA standard to securely and cost-effectively support large scale femtocell deployments. The key advantage of the UMA-enabled HGNC is that it interfaces to the operators existing core network with standard IuCS/IuPS interfaces, enabling faster time to market as well as full service transparency for the end user.

ITU set to upgrade WiMAX to 3G classification

IMT-2000 classification would qualify WiMAX for IMT-2000 spectrum allocations at WRC-07, when the 2.3-2.4GHz and 3.4-3.6GHz bands will be considered for inclusion and the 3G community will reportedly be asking for 1.7GHz of new spectrum.

Fixed WiMAX is now deployed in Europe at 3.5GHz, while the 2.3GHz and 2.5-2.6GHz bands are used for mobile WiMAX. The latter band comes under IMT-2000’s auspices and has until now been earmarked as 3G-expansion spectrum.

Ericsson Baffled By Vodafone CEO’s WiMax Over LTE Talk

Ericsson today expressed surprise at Vodafone chief Arun Sarin’s willingness to consider WiMAX instead of LTE for the next phase of its technology evolution.

EDGE to Reach 1Mbps in 2009

Today Ericsson announced that it expects to make its 1Mbps EDGE Evolution network upgrades available by 2009. EDGE Evolution is a software upgrade for the existing EDGE data network hardware that runs on GSM networks. EDGE Evolution devices will be capable of data rates as much as 300 percent faster than current EDGE systems. This means that GSM device users will be able to enjoy connections of up to 1Mbps in speed - similar to those currently enjoyed by users on CDMA EV-DO and WCDMA 3G networks.

Ericsson claims that it supplies its EDGE equipment to over half of the 196 EDGE networks that are in use throughout the world today.

This is an important milestone in bringing GSM networks closer to 3G data speeds.

FMC from Orange

In a briefing, Orange told us that it had sold 100,000 Unik phones in France, as of the end of February. Unik customers' voice traffic at home has been multiplied by 3.

Unik is a fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) service for voice, based on dual-mode WiFi/cellular phones, which provide unlimited voice at home (or in small enterprises). Unik is available to customers subscribing to an Orange mobile postpaid contract and an Orange fixed broadband access. Unik comes as an option on top of the mobile plan, at €10 or €22 per month.

The industry is slowly getting its act together on spectrum coordination for WiMAX

WiSOA

The key objective of the WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA) is to accelerate the acceptance and deployment of interoperable WiMAX networks through a coordinated global effort.

World's First WiMAX Roaming Agreement Established - Mar 09, 2007 - Digital Communities

Members of the WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA) have signed the world's first WiMAX roaming agreement, and formed a partnership with MACH Sarl and Trustive BV, the world's leading providers of roaming services.

The agreement and partnership is the crucial first step in what will provide for seamless "GSM-like" roaming amongst WiMAX networks, and roaming partnerships with global WiFi and 3G networks -- expediting the rollout of interoperable WiMAX services worldwide.

The key objective of WiSOA, a global organisation composed exclusively of owners of WiMAX spectrum, is to accelerate the acceptance and deployment of interoperable WiMAX networks through a coordinated global effort.

Clearwire IPO raises USD600m towards WiMAX rollout: CommsUpdate : TeleGeography Research

US wireless ISP Clearwire has raised USD600 million from an initial public offering (IPO). The firm sold 24 million shares at USD25 each, giving it a market capitalisation of USD3.9 billion. Founder Craig McCaw is still Clearwire’s largest shareholder following the sale, with other investors including Intel and Motorola. The proceeds from the IPO will be used to help fund Clearwire’s rollout of mobile WiMAX wireless broadband technology; it currently offers wireless internet services using proprietary equipment from its former subsidiary NextNet Wireless, which was acquired by Motorola last year. Clearwire currently offers wireless internet services in 34 US markets where it has attracted more than 180,000 subscribers.

Alcatel selected for WiMAX rollout: CommsUpdate : TeleGeography Research

Chunghwa Telecom has selected Alcatel-Lucent to roll out Taiwan’s first 802.16e mobile WiMAX wireless internet network. The new system will be deployed in Taoyuan county as part of the government’s M-Taiwan project to increase broadband penetration in underserved areas. The equipment vendor's 802.16e WiMAX equipment is expected to receive full certification from the WiMAX Forum later this year. The partners says the network will be used to deliver services such as VoIP telephony and remote medical access. While several WiMAX networks are being rolled out in Taiwan under temporary trial concessions, six full regional licences are scheduled to be awarded within the next few months.

Operators to Invest $18 Billion in UMTS Long Term Evolution Networks by 2014

Long Term Evolution (LTE) of 3G technologies is about to benefit from Rel-8 of the 3GPP standard, planned for the third quarter of 2007. This will be the trigger for development of components and systems to provide 100 Mbps download speeds to mobile devices. According to a new study from ABI Research, network operators will invest a total of almost US$18 billion in LTE capital infrastructure over the period to 2014.

This will yield a significant payoff, both in reduction of operating expenses and in the creation of new revenue from IP-based services.

"LTE faces competition from other broadband wireless technologies and it will need to demonstrate clear technical and economic advantages to convince network operators," says ABI Research analyst Ian Cox. "WiMAX has a two-year lead over LTE but suffers from not being backwards-compatible with current 3G technologies. LTE will not only be backwards-compatible with UMTS but is likely to be used to upgrade CDMA networks as well. But the industry is also working on HSPA+, which could offer the same performance in a 5MHz bandwidth. Without additional spectrum, operators face a difficult choice."

Gigabit WiMAX-IEEE802.16m

Looking beyond current 802.16e Mobile WiMAX technology, the IEEE hopes to boost speeds of 802.16m to 1Gbps by 2009 and possibly merge it with LTE.

Calling it gigabit WiMAX, the standards-setting organization is mapping an aggressive timeline to develop the new technology standard by the end of 2007 and have it finalized by the end of 2009.

The UMTS Forum: preparations for WRC 07

The UMTS Forum: preparations for WRC 07

1GHz new spectrum will be needed to meet growth in demand for very high-speed mobile services by 2020
WRC-07 is the right time to identify new spectrum: our industry cannot afford to wait until the next conference in 2011 to identify this additional spectrum
The UMTS Forum considers that at least 2 x 30 MHz of globally harmonised paired spectrum in the band 470-862MHz would provide a viable minimum coverage extension band for IMT-2000/UMTS
Current regulatory provisions should be reviewed in order to protect the 2500-2690MHz band from satellite interference that could significantly reduce the coverage and capacity of UMTS networks.
Introduction
This year's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) is a landmark event for our industry. Preparations for WRC-07 have been ongoing for several years and CPM, the Conference Preparatory Meeting, is an important milestone in the preparations.

In the UMTS Forum we represent a significant group of stakeholders who are directly interested in spectrum topics in the context of the development of public mobile communication networks including UMTS/IMT-2000. Consequentially the UMTS Forum is actively contributing to the ITU preparatory process for WRC-07 including this month's CPM meeting in Geneva.

Harmonised spectrum to meet future global market demand
The UMTS Forum has a close interest in assessing the amount of spectrum will be needed for the future development of IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000 ('IMT-Advanced'). Here we have already estimated in the UMTS Forum that as much as 1GHz of new spectrum will be needed to meet growth in demand for very high-speed mobile services by 2020. These frequencies are needed in addition to spectrum that is already identified for UMTS/IMT-2000 at the earlier WARC-92 and WRC-2000 meetings, namely 585MHz in Europe. We also believe that these bands for advanced services should be globally common and located below 5 GHz in order to support full mobility with an acceptable trade-off between affordable cost and full area coverage.

Existing bands are without doubt insufficient to satisfy the spectrum demand for IMT-Advanced. Tomorrow's mobile applications and services demanding our predicted traffic volumes with 100 Mbps/1Gbps peak data rates cannot perform satisfactorily within today's IMT-2000 spectrum bands. WRC‑07 is without doubt the right time to identify new spectrum for IMT-Advanced After all, it has typically taken around a decade between the time when the spectrum is identified and when it is actually used by the market. Our industry cannot afford to wait until the next conference in 2011 to identify this additional spectrum that is going to have a massive socio-economic effect on our society over the next two decades.

Serving growth markets
Another key topic at WRC this year is the cost-effective extension of mobile coverage using affordable UMTS/IMT-2000 systems and terminals to serve growth markets like China, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa where there are large numbers of people in geographically scattered areas of low population density. The switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting is expected to free some spectrum in the band 470-862 MHz, and these 'digital dividend' frequencies are of particular interest to provide extended coverage. In the UMTS Forum we have shown that significantly fewer base station sites are needed to provide UMTS/IMT-2000 coverage at these lower frequencies compared to today's 2 GHz core bands. In Region 1, the ITU Regional Radiocommunication Conference 2006 (RRC-06) established a frequency plan for terrestrial digital TV broadcasting. The results of RRC-06 allow greater flexibility in the use of broadcasting bands: discussion continues on how to introduce mobile use into the band.

The UMTS Forum is therefore urging that WRC-07 identifies a new Coverage Extension Band in the lower frequency bands for IMT-2000 to address part of WRC-07 Agenda Item 1.4 and its related Resolution 228. This new Coverage Extension Band, we believe, should be allocated on a primary basis for mobile services in all three ITU Regions and identified for terrestrial IMT-2000. The UMTS Forum considers that at least 2 x 30 MHz of paired spectrum from the band 470-862 MHz would provide a viable minimum Coverage Extension Band for IMT-2000/UMTS.

Safeguarding UMTS/IMT-2000 systems against interference
One further topic of great importance at WRC-07 is the protection of the 2.5GHz band from satellite interference. The 2500-2690 MHz band was previously identified for IMT-2000 on a worldwide basis by WRC-2000. Moreover, this band is allocated to various satellite services, in particular Broadcasting Satellite Service (BSS), Fixed Satellite Service and BSS (sound) service. As a UMTS extension band, the 2.5 GHz band requires protection from interference from those satellite services. Current regulatory provisions, including satellite radiation powers, have to be reviewed to ensure this protection on a long-term basis. Satellite interference could have a very detrimental effect by significantly reducing the coverage and capacity of UMTS networks. It should be noted that WRC-03 adopted appropriate new regulations that ensure the protection of UMTS networks from BSS (sound) interference. Respective regulations will have to be adopted at WRC-07 for other space services

FastWeb outlines WiMAX plans

Italian broadband provider FastWeb says it plans to spend up to EUR400 million on WiMAX wireless broadband technology over the next three to four years if it is successful in winning a licence in Italy’s forthcoming spectrum auction. The firm says its investment plan is based on the expectation that telecoms regulator Agcom will call for all WiMAX licensees to offer coverage to 90% of the country’s population. FastWeb has been conducting trials of WiMAX technology since 2005 and says it plans to use the technology to reach areas not currently covered by its ADSL or fibre networks. The government is expected to offer WiMAX concessions this June, although full details of the sale have not yet been published.

World Radiocommunication Conference preparatory meeting opens in Geneva

Chairman of the Preparatory Meeting, Mr Kavouss Arasteh noted that the CPM Report will be an indispensable reference for each Member State to prepare itself for the World Radiocommunication Conference.

He outlined the following areas of priority:

the search for additional spectrum for future mobile communications, particularly for broadband multimedia applications

the protection of frequencies used by services and systems for the detection and mitigation of natural disasters, in order to streamline emergency communications

spectrum requirements and associated regulatory issues for advanced aeronautical communication requirements

operational procedures and requirements for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System

spectrum requirements for global broadband satellite systems, with the aim of bringing internet access to remote and underserved areas

Mobile Industry Shaken as CEO Heralds the WiMAX Revolution

For some time Vodafone has distanced itself from the 3G vs WiMAX debate, and for good reason, WiMAX Day noted. Vodafone partners and subsidiaries are already planning WiMAX babies of their own. In fact they are more than just a little bit pregnant. According to publicly available data, Vodafone has already placed a significant bet on WiMAX, with investment, op's and network infrastructure in various stages of deployment.

Mobile phones 'second worst invention ever' - vnunet.com

The weapons category captured 35 per cent of the vote and included items as diverse as guns, explosives, biological weapons and atomic bombs.

Mobile phones were the next worst invention, according to 17 per cent of those questioned. Nuclear power, television and the Sinclair C5 came joint third with nine per cent.

Nortel CEO: 3G Can't Cut It

In the less-than-perfect conditions that prevail in real life, 3G has been disappointing, according to not just Zafirovski but also Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO Designate of Nokia Siemens Networks, which is set to be created before the end of March. Beresford-Wylie said that, while there might be more than 100 million 3G subscribers now, "it's surprising that 3G hasn't been a great success. It hasn't lived up to the expectations of customers, carriers, or suppliers."

3GSM 2007: all the stories, all the goodies | Reg Hardware

3GSM 2007: all the stories, all the goodies | Reg Hardware

3GSM: EYEING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM :: RCR Wireless News

dding to the somewhat surreal nature of this year’s 3GSM World Congress was the presence of Sprint Nextel Corp.’s CTO Barry West, who headlined a panel discussion on WiMAX technology.

(Nothing against West or Sprint Nextel, but the only wireless technology the carrier is not currently using or planning to use is GSM, the technology that gives the 3GSM World Congress its name.)

Described by some at the conference as the elephant in the room, WiMAX made a small but entertaining presence at the show, with several sessions having at least one question about the technology. WiMAX has made headway outside of Europe but appears to be having a more difficult time in the heavily regulated EU environment.

The 3GSM WiMAX session included brief presentations by Jake McLeod, principal vice president and CTO of Bechtel Communications, who brought a down-home feel to his time on stage, and Hwan Chung, vice president at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., who provided attendees with the Korean experience with mobile WiMAX. Chung, as is proper for such a high-tech event, also showed off a pocketful of WiMAX devices.

Mobile networks powered by wind

The world's first mobile phone base station powered by wind and the sun's rays will soon open in Namibia.

The trial follows a pilot held in Swindon, UK, led by Motorola. Mobile firm MTC Namibia will run the cell.

"We firmly believe we need a solution to go into rural areas and the key is speed - we need a quick roll out," said MTC executive Joachen Traut.

"Namibia is a huge country with only two million people - to get power to rural areas is very expensive.

"You are paying US $8,000 per kilometre to get a grid power line. And to get on the grid you can wait a year or two to get a power line."

Oyster 3G is 2007's Best Radio Access Product

ip.access, the market leader in cellular picocell technologies is delighted to announce that Oyster 3G, its home access femtocell product, has won the Best Radio Access Product category of the annual GSM Awards, the mobile industry's most competitive and hard-fought awards.

ip.access was in prestigious company in its category with industry giants Nokia and Cisco also shortlisted. Referring to the Oyster 3G femtocell's attributes and capabilities, the Awards Judges said: 'A product that brings the 3G inbuilding coverage issue to the forefront - this has the potential to change the way operators think about their networks'.

HP: How the mobile industry can do better - ZDNet UK

A man with many years of experience in the mobile industry, McKinney has no shortage of opinions about what's going well — and not so well — in the business. Find out why he thinks the mobile operators are throwing away 70 percent of their most valuable assets, and how they have to change to survive.

Microsoft preps cognitive radio prototype for use with TV spectrum - Convergence - www.itnews.com.au

Dell, HP, Google, and others want the FCC to sign off on letting consumer devices utilize the "white space.".

An informal coalition of technology companies, including Dell, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, and Philips Electronics, has asked the FCC to make unused portions of the TV broadcast spectrum available for unlicensed use by wireless devices.

Though the specific devices that might work with this "super Wi-Fi" network have yet to designed, Microsoft is preparing to submit its prototype "cognitive radio" soon. A company spokesman said Microsoft and its partners aim to demonstrate to the FCC that consumer devices can utilize the spectrum "white space" without causing interference with TV or other signals.

"This is all related to the FCC-proposed rulemaking to open up white spaces for additional uses," says a spokesman for Microsoft. "We think there's an opportunity for innovation in using those spaces."

OTE WiMAX Project In Greece Begins Pilots | Wireless IQ

OTE S.A. the largest telecommunications provider in Greece, has chosen Redline's RedMAX family of WiMAX Forum Certified products for two of its three pilot WiMAX deployments in Greece. The RedMAX products will be deployed in Athens and the surrounding Attica regions as part of the pilot phase of OTE's planned nationwide WiMAX deployment.

MARAC, Redline's Certified Partner in Greece, will install the WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX equipment to establish the WiMAX networks in both the dense urban Athens location and the suburban and rural Attica region.

Second Public Mobile PlugFest Showcases Interoperability Among Mobile WiMAX Products

February 13, 2007 – The WiMAX Forum has brought 34 companies from the Mobile WiMAXTM equipment and test equipment communities together for the second public mobile WiMAX Forum PlugFest, an interoperability showcase hosted by AT4 wireless Labs in Malaga, Spain. The PlugFest kicked off on Sunday, February 11, 2007 and concludes on Saturday, February 17.

Latest WiMAX technology and services can be experienced at 3GSM

Sprint's partners in the 4G wireless broadband initiative, Samsung, Intel, Motorola, and Nokia, will share a booth under the theme of “WiMAX is here!”. In this booth, the partners will together conduct live demonstrations of Mobile WiMAX ( network equipment and devices provided by Samsung ), while showing multimedia services such as Mobile TV/Personal Contents ( provided by Sprint ) and multimedia conference or MMC ( provided by Samsung ).

Wavesat

Mobile WiMax chip builder Wavesat will arrive in Barcelona this week with high hopes, and a single chip UMobile 16e product - but with its sights set firmly on the long term. Chips won't ship till Q4, but the strategy is looking at 2012.

Adlane Fellah, CEO and Founder of Maravedis announced the Wavesat strategy this week and said: "We predict that there will be an accumulated 87 million broadband Wireless Access subscribers (excluding cellular) by the end of 2012, 67 million of which will be WiMAX subscribers."

Fellah thinks WiMAX will represent 90% of subscribers who are added in 2012, of whom 75% will be using 802.16-2005 technology.

Some other predictions: "WiMAX chipsets will start to be embedded into laptops in the beginning of 2008, into handheld devices in the beginning of 2009, and into consumer electronics in the beginning of 2010. In this context, Wavesat who has been a pioneer in the development of WIMAX SOCs is well positioned to tap into this future competitive WIMAX mobile market."

US carriers upgrading 3G networks: ZDNet Australia: News: Communications

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless announced it is upgrading its third-generation wireless network using a CDMA-based technology called Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) in six markets: Boston; Richmond, Virginia.; Chicago; Gary, Indiana; Salt Lake City; and parts of Florida.

Sprint Nextel has also been upgrading its 3G network with EV-DO Rev. A since October 2006. And last week the company said it offers the service in 24 markets, including some in which Verizon says it will operate, such as Boston, Salt Lake City and southeastern Florida.

The main benefit of upgrading to EV-DO Rev. A is an increase in upload speeds. EV-DO Revision Zero, the first version deployed, offers downloads between 400 kilobits per second and 700kbps with upload speeds of about 50kbps to 70kbps.

ITU set to make WiMAX a 3G standard

According to the WiMAX Forum, in a new White Paper "WiMAX and IMT-2000" "including IP-OFDMA (mobile WiMAX) within the IMT-2000 family of radio transmission technologies will put mobile WiMAX on a comparable worldwide footing with EV-DO, HSPA, and other recent and planned enhancements to 3G technology. This will offer operators an additional migration path to consider as they strive to add network capabilities to support a larger suite of value-added broadband services."

Moto Promises WiMax Phones in '08

Motorola Inc. is teaming with chipmaker Texas Instruments Inc. to develop its first mobile WiMax handsets, to launch in 2008.

TI already works with Motorola developing chipsets for 3G devices. The firms say that the extension of this deal will focus on "802.16e mobile WiMAX functionality supporting voice, video and data for low-power mobile applications." TI is readying WiMax chipsets for "mobile devices that Motorola plans to launch during 2008."

IBM to Help Providers to Deploy WiMAX.

International Business Machines has announced that it had become a member of the WiMAX Forum, an industry-led organization driving the global adoption of standards-based, interoperable WiMAX products for the delivery of broadband mobile Internet services. As a member of the forum, IBM will provide services to providers seeking to deploy WiMAX networks.

Cell Phones,Prices On Cell Phones,Cell Phone Reviews,Cell Phone Plans And Service,Cell Phones & Functionality

Cell Phones,Prices On Cell Phones,Cell Phone Reviews,Cell Phone Plans And Service,Cell Phones & Functionality

Navini demonstrates Smart Beamforming on mobile WiMAX

In a global first, Navini Networks, the leader in commercially deployed personal broadband wireless networks, is today demonstrating Smart beamforming on the Ripwave(R) MX mobile WiMAX platform live at the Wireless Communications Association (WCA) exhibition and conference at the Fairmont hotel in San Jose.

While most vendors are working towards delivering their first mobile WiMAX products based on what is known as "Wave 1" mobile WiMAX technology, Navini Networks is already showing the critical "Wave 2" functionality of beamforming on its Ripwave(R) MX platform.

"Smart beamforming is the key technology in the WiMAX standard that changes the RF game, enabling performance superior to other wireless technologies (3G et al) and Navini has been a leader in beamforming for several years," explains Sai Subramanian, VP, Strategic Marketing and Product Management for Navini Networks. "Many of the largest 'personal broadband' networks in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas already use Navini's beamforming, which is enhancing commercial service delivery inside homes and offices."

WiMAX is More Energy-Efficient than Cellular for Mobile Broadband

Energy costs represent the third most significant operating expense (OPEX) item for cellular carriers today, and fluctuating energy costs are a significant area of concern for business planners. The introduction of mobile broadband to the equation means that the energy required per subscriber arising from increasing data uptake will push per-subscriber energy OPEX for cellular solutions past acceptable barriers - unless carriers move from a traditional cellular-only approach to one that integrates WiMAX and Metro Wi-Fi.

Is BT's Fusion a flop?

BT's attempts to converge the worlds of fixed and mobile have suffered limited success, according to the telco's sales figures.

The telco has sold its so-called Fusion converged handset to just 40,000 customers since its launch in summer 2005.

Maybe the Wi-Fi variant will have more success?

Apple - iPhone - Internet

Apple - iPhone - Internet

Italy to roll out WiMAX

Earlier last week Italy's minister of Communications Paolo Gentiloni and the minister of Defence Arturo Parisi agreed on a plan for the deployment of WiMAX-related technologies in Italy, to begin in mid-2007. Reportedly, 3.5GHz frequency lots would be made available to the market players according to a detailed 'roadmap', which the two ministries will make public by the end of February.

UPDATE 1-Nokia signs WiMAX deal with Sprint | Reuters.com

HELSINKI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel (S.N: Quote, Profile , Research) has picked Finland's Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile , Research) as a key infrastructure and consumer electronics device provider for its WiMAX mobile broadband network in the United States, the companies said on Friday.

DoCoMo eyes 2010 launch for low-cost mobile broadband service: CommsUpdate : TeleGeography Research

Japan’s leading mobile operator by subscribers, NTT DoCoMo, plans to launch a high speed, low-cost mobile broadband service in 2010. The so-called ‘Super 3G’ service will require it to upgrade its existing networks, but on completion will provide transmission speeds of up to 100Mbps – many times faster than the current speeds provided by DoCoMo for its existing services. Tests on the new network are due to begin this year.

South Korea Set For 3G War | January 2, 2007 | Telecommunications Magazine

outh Korea’s mobile operators are bracing themselves for a tough battle in 2007 as they ramp up their investments in new 3G technology, and none seems more confident of victory than the incumbent.