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.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
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
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.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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
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.
Friday, February 16, 2007
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.
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: 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.
(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.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
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."
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'.
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'.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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."
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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 ).
Monday, February 12, 2007
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."
Monday, February 05, 2007
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."
Friday, February 02, 2007
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."
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."
Thursday, February 01, 2007
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.
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