Mobile WiMAX Losing Ground with Korea, US Turning Away

Mobile WiMAX led by KT, Samsung Electronics and Intel is increasingly being isolated, according to this report. Though Mobile WiMAX is still a candidate for a 4G standard, LTE is likely to become the dominant technology. As forecast, Mobile WiMAX will probably remain as a niche technology as has CDMA compared with UMTS and GSM.

Australian WiMAX pioneer trashes technology as "miserable failure"

Freeman highlighted his presentation with a warning to delegates, saying “WiMAX may not work.” He said that the technology was still “mired in opportunistic hype,” pointing to the fact most deployments were still in trials, that it was largely used by start-up carriers and was supported by “second-tier vendors”, which he contrasted with HSPA with 154 commercial networks already in operation and support from top tier vendors.

WiMAX Forum plots for 700 MHz

The Forum is looking at WiMAX from a slightly different perspective. While previous efforts included fixed or portable WiMAX based on IEEE 802.16d standards, the profile work within 700 MHz will be strictly 802.16e and especially mobile.

Nortel Evolved EDGE Technology Delivers Mobile Broadband, Builds Bridge to 4G

Nortel will demonstrate dual-carrier Evolved EDGE technology that can achieve double the throughput compared to existing EDGE solutions. The demonstration at Mobile World Congress will take place in the Hyperconnected Home area of the Nortel booth and will include live video streaming over Evolved EDGE and LTE - which demonstrates the coupling of these technologies to deliver network-wide service continuity. This solution uses Nortel BSS commercial equipment and the Prisma dual-carrier mobile simulator.

Alcatel-Lucent and Samsung Debut Industry's First Solution for Seamless WiMAX-GSM/EDGE Dual-Mode Services

This first-of-its-kind solution will enable operators to blend GSM/EDGE and WiMAX networks and thus offer their mobile subscribers wireless data and voice service that span an entire nation. Operators will be able to gradually roll out wireless broadband services using the most advanced WiMAX standard, Rev-e (802.16e-2005), because when their subscribers move out of WiMAX range the existing GSM/EDGE network will immediately pick up the connection without disruption in the subscriber's session or call.

Top 8 Issues in the Korean Telecom Market 2008

* Samsung, LG Expect another Robust Year in 2008
* IPTV Gaining Momentum
* WiBro Looking for the Right Track
* Government Policy Harbingering Internet Phone Boom
* Mobile TV: A Hollow Business
* HSDPA is Likely to Get a Boost by USIM Unlock
* Mobile Phone Subsidy to be Deregulated
* Strong Call for Price Cut Swaying the Mobile Market

Axtel Selects Motorola for Mobile WiMAX in Mexico : Mobile Broadband News featuring WiMAX, HSPA, EV-DO, WiBro, LTE, UMB, 4G, and Mobile TV technologie

Axtel, S.A.B. de C.V. (”AXTEL”), a fixed-line integrated telecommunications company, today announced that Motorola de Mexico S.A. and Motorola Inc. have been selected as the first vendor to provide access points, core network equipment, associated services and customer devices for its initial deployment of WiMAX technology.

AXTEL will purchase from Motorola equipment to install 802.16e WiMAX base stations (access points), voice and data customer premise equipment, or CPE’s, and PCMCIA cards. Indoor CPE’s with Wi-Fi functionality and USB dongles will also be available for WiMAX. Laptops, PDA’s and handsets with WiMAX embedded chipsets should be available by the end of this year or beginning 2009.

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