Wireless Broadband Network

Intel Kills 2250 WiMax Chip

2009-06-25T13:56:00.000+08:00

Intel today told its customers that it will stop manufacturing the WiMax Connection 2250 chip (pdf) and the WiMax Connection 2300R radio chip (pdf), reports TG Daily. The news came via a product change notification sent out by the company, announcing an unusually quick phase-out. Final orders were taken today (June 5).

Intel has been among the top-3 investors in Clearwire, the WiMax carrier in the U.S. The company has a significant role in pushing WiMax to the consumers. But WiMAX chip companies Beceem and Sequans have become the overwhelming favorite for use in consumer client devices. Intel has also invested in Beceem.

In a phone call with TG Daily, Intel said that the company will not drop its WiMax chip production, but focus on more recent WiMax chips, the Echo Peak chipset (the Intel WiMAX/WiFi 5150 and 5350), instead. Instead of shipping RF chipsets, like Beceem and Sequans, Intel has focused on delivering platforms encompassing both processing and multimedia capabilities with combined WiFi/WiMAX connectivity on small PCIe Mini Express Cards that slip into Centrino laptops.

According to WiMAX.com, four leading WiMAX semiconductor companies - Beceem, Sequans, GCT and Wavesat- presented their outlook for 4G networks and related silicon at the May 13th IEEE Communications Society panel session entitled, “Semiconductor Evolution to 4G: Mobile WiMAX, LTE, and other 4G technologies.”

Lars Johnsson of Beceem expressed what seemed to be a consensus view of the four semiconductor company panelists: “Wireless is the hard part, silicon is the easy part.” The basic premise is that the algorithms needed to achieve good performance on an OFDMA based wireless broadband link is more difficult then designing the silicon for that same link- especially when the end point is in motion. The broadband wireless design challenge starts with constantly changing signal strength and it gets more difficult once the terminal starts moving.
Some of the wireless design issues Lars identified were: signal tracking (to improve performance under all conditions), channel estimation (allows for better decoding), high-speed mobility, hand-off (from one base station to another), maximum likelihood receiver (improves receiver sensitivity), interference detection, and noise cancellation.
Ambroise Popper of Sequans stated that many core silicon functional blocks, now used in WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005) can be leveraged for 4G: the OFDM modulator/demodulator, FEC, Channel estimation, and MIMO processing. Sequans plans to facilitate a smooth evolution to 4G for WiMAX network operators. They plan to develop and offer converged dual-mode IC’s for backwards compatibility with Mobile WiMAX devices. Those components will fully support the existing 802.16e and either 802.16m or LTE (dependent on market demand). They see efficient low-power implementation and radio performance as key differentiators between 4G and Mobile WiMAX/802.16e.

Meanwhile, Intel is investing $43 million in Japanese WiMax provider UQ Communications, which plans to cover 90 percent of Japan by 2012. It will formally launch the service on July 1, in Tokyo’s 23 wards, Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the Tokyo International Airport. UQ Communications is also backed by KDDI, Japan’s number two cellular carrier, JR East, the major railway operator in Eastern Japan, Kyocera, Daiwa Securities and Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank.

Taiwan’s Vmax is one of 30 WiMAX technologies and service providers worldwide receiving Intel investment. Vmax will primarily sell data cards or MIDs to users in Taiwan.

Only a handful of WiMAX-enabled mobile phones are on display at Computex this week, and some are prototypes such as one running chips by MediaTek, Taiwan’s biggest handset chipmaker. Global Mobile Corp is showcasing handsets supporting WiMAX technology including a dual-mode smartphone, code named MAX 4G, from HTC, the biggest maker of handsets running Windows Mobile. HTC has shipped the MAX 4G to Russia’s WiMAX operator Yota, which launched the services in Moscow and St Petersburg on Monday.

In Taiwan, Global Mobile Corp is set to launch its service next quarter, followed by Vee Telecom Multimedia and the nation’s No. 3 mobile carrier, Far EasTone Telecommunications, by the end of this year.

Saudi Mobily: $100M for Samsung WiMAX

2009-06-25T13:55:00.000+08:00

Reuters reported today that Saudi mobile telephone firm Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has awarded Samsung a $100 million deal to expand the WiMax network through its broadband subsidiary, Bayanat al-Oula.

The network would be the biggest of its kind in the Middle East both in terms of geographic coverage and user capacity, said Salim Saasouh, Samsung’s Middle East and North Africa regional manager for telecoms and network business. Mobily, which bought Bayanat in 2007, would finance the expansion through a loan.

The deal would expand WiMAX service to 20 cities from the four previously covered by the firm.

“Bayanat’s existing WiMax network serves 30,000 subscribers. With this expansion, we will be able to increase Bayant’s WiMax capacity by at least three times,” said chief executive, Khaled al-Kaf. He said this makes his firm a market leader in Saudi Arabia.

Samsung will deliver 1,400 stations to increase Bayant’s overall number of WiMax stations to 1,800 and will deliver the network before the end of 2009.

According to the GSM World Association, Mobily has the busiest data network on the face of the planet, with 452,000 mobile broadband subscribers by the end of 2009’s first quarter, who consume over 30 terabytes of data a day.

Mobily competes with Saudi Telecom, the largest Arab telecom firm by market value, and Zain Saudi Arabia for mobile telephone users in the kingdom, where mobile telephone penetration exceeds 100 percent.

Meanwhile, Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication, a joint venture between Bahrain’s Batelco and the local Atheeb Trading Group, recently announced the launch of a new nationwide WiMAX 802.16e network in Saudi Arabia using Motorola gear.

Deployment of the network started in 2008, and includes Motorola’s WAP 800 access point, featuring smart antenna technology (beamforming). Service is beginning in the Saudi capital Riyadh and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication Company was formed as a new provider of fixed telecoms services in Saudi Arabia, ending Saudi Telecom’s monopoly over fixed line services in the country.

Towards a REAL “4G” Standard

2009-06-25T13:54:00.000+08:00

At the 2009 IEEE ComSoc which met on May 13 in Santa Clara (pdf), Intel’s Principal Wireless System Architect, Hassan Yaghoobi, presented a Mobile WiMAX roadmap (pdf) including IEEE 802.16e (Release 1.0), the current version of IEEE 802.16e (Release 1.5), and the next generation, IEEE 802.16m (Release 2.0).

Both the current Mobile WiMAX standard (Release 1.5) and LTE are expected to move from their current status as “3.5G” standards to an official “4G” standard, supported by the International Telecommunications Union in the next few years. The official “4G” standard will be called IMT-Advanced. A true “4G” standard is expected to deliver up to 100Mbps (mobile) and 1 Gbps (fixed).

IMT-Advanced, the official ITU “4G” standard, will actually be an umbrella of “4G” standards, supporting differing (and incompatible) WiMAX and LTE versions.

The LTE version of “4G” will be called LTE-Advanced. That standard is still being defined.
The Mobile WiMAX version of “4G” will be 802.16m.

The ITU will bless multiple “4G” standards under the “IMT-Advanced” umbrella, including both 802.16m and LTE-Advanced.

Current 802.16m progress includes features such as support for both Full Duplex (on 5 Mhz channels) and Half Duplex FDD on bands such as 700 MHz and AWS, Enhanced Multicast and Broadcast Services and interoperability.

Recent WiMAX Forum activities include:

WiMAX Forum is working on enabling Mobile WiMAX FDD through R1.5 Air interface.
Mobile WiMAX R1.5 based on IEEE 802.16/Rev2 has been submitted as an update to IMT-2000 OFDMA TDD WMAN to include FDD.
Preparation work is underway for development of R2.0 conformance and Interoperability specifications based on IEEE 802.16m.
Mobile WiMAX R2.0 is being submitted to ITU as a IMT-Advanced candidate

Virgin Mobile: Prepaid Data Plans

2009-06-25T13:53:00.000+08:00

Virgin Mobile USA introduced today a new wireless broadband service over the Sprint’s EV-DO network. Dubbed Broadband2Go, the service offers pay-as-you-go cards with no contracts, roaming charges or activation fees.

Virgin is the first national contract-less carrier to make data plans pre-paid, says the company. But true contract-less mobile broadband service are also available from Clearwire ($30/month) and Leap Wireless ($40/month), although their coverage is more limited.

Virgin’s plans are aimed at casual broadband users who don’t want a contract and don’t need the 5 GB maximum download offered by most cellular carriers.

Virgin’s pre-paid data rate plans include; $10 for 100MB, $20 for 250MB, $40 for 600MB and $60 for 1GB. The $10 bundles will expire ten days after purchase, while the rest of them will expire after 30 days. Top-Up cards can be used to purchase data usage from 100MB to 1 gigabyte on the pay-as-you-go model.

The service will use a Novatel MC760 USB dongle, said to be the world’s smallest EV-DO Rev A device, will be available exclusively at Best Buy for $150. It includes an integrated microSD slot for storing and transporting up to 16 GB of files.

Most cell carriers offer 5 GB at $60 per month, under a 2-year contract.

On Monday, Sprint said it would also offer enterprises a 500 MB 3G broadband access plan for $40, more than doubling the data cap offered by VZW and AT&T’s similarly priced plans.

Engadget Labs tested the cellular modems of each of the four major carriers and proclaimed “The best mobile broadband carrier in America was Verizon. Based on coverage alone, they liked Verizon best (from a national standpoint) and AT&T second. They used the following data cards and plans:

AT&T: Sierra Wireless USBConnect Mercury, free after a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
Sprint: Sierra Wireless 598U, $29.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
T-Mobile: Huawei webConnect USB Laptop Stick, $49.99 after $200 instant rebate and 2-year data plan ($249.99 sans commitment)
Verizon Wireless: UTStarcom UM175, $29.99 outright with a 2-year data plan ($79.99 sans commitment)

All four major US carriers offer capped mobile broadband, topping out at 5GB of throughput per month.

I live in Portland, Oregon, and have two (truly) unlimited wireless broadband services from Clearwire for a total of $55/month (plus $10/mo for device rental). They each typically deliver 3-4 Mbps down and 500Kbps up — with no caps. One client is a Motorola USB WiMAX dongle and the other is a Motorola residential WiMAX modem. They work well. I have been using Clear’s WiMAX service since December 1st, 2008, and have experienced no significant problems so far.

Clear also is running a big expensive advertisement on this site, which — if truth be told — disposes me to be sympathetic. I’m not adverse to telling the truth, however. If problems or issues arise with Clear’s service, I’ll report them.

LTE & Mobile WiMAX Explained

2009-06-25T13:51:00.001+08:00

Confused about the differences between WiMAX and LTE? Don’t worry about it, says Jason Hiner of TechRepublic. Hiner says the major differences are in the business model, not the technology.

Randall Bennett at TechVi, asks Jason Hiner where WiMAX is going to be deployed, and how it compares with competing standard LTE.

Major technical differences between LTE and Mobile WiMAX include:

LTE primarily uses FDD for full duplex on two 5 Mhz channels, while WiMAX uses TDD for half duplex on one 10 MHz channel. Both will do voice, but WiMAX is designed around data while LTE is designed around voice.
Clear has 120 Mhz available in most major cities on the 2.6 GHz band, while cell carriers have perhaps 12 Mhz (in the 700 MHz band) and another 12 Mhz in the AWS band (1.7/2.1 MHz). That’s a difference of 5 times.

Cell carriers, explains Hiner, will implement voice-centric LTE in the next 2-3 years. Data-centric Mobile WiMAX is expected to be available in New York, Washington DC, Chicago and SF next year.

Atlanta Gets Mobile WiMAX

2009-06-25T13:48:00.000+08:00

Clear officially launched its Mobile WiMAX service in Atlanta today, though the system has been operating without publicity for about six weeks, notes the Atlanta Constitution.

Clearwire hopes to extend its subscriber base by nearly 3 million with the metro Atlanta expansion, company officials said in an recent analyst call. The Atlanta network covers more than 1,200 square miles, the biggest yet.

There are still holes in the huge footprint, which covers everything inside I-285 and more. Service is not yet available in parts of the Northside around Dunwoody and Sandy Springs and DeKalb County around Decatur. A complete network of transmitters that will close those gaps is still being installed, according to the company.

Clear requires a USB ($59) or residential WiMAX modem ($79) with a $35 activation fee. Service rates that start at $10 a day and go to $50 a month.

Clear also announced that soon Panasonic will deliver a Toughbook computer with embedded WiMAX, a dual-mode, 3G/4G modem which will provide CLEAR customers access to Sprint’s nationwide 3G network, and the Samsung Mondi, a mobile WiMAX enabled handheld device.

This is the third market for Clear, which has previously launched systems in Baltimore and Portland, Oregon. Las Vegas is reportedly operational and ready to go. But the “official” launch — including new store openings and a marketing blitz — will begin this summer.

This year Clear will also launch in Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Philadelphia, and convert existing pre-WiMAX markets in Seattle, Honolulu and Charlotte, N.C., to mobile WiMAX.

By 2010, Clearwire projects 4.6 millon subs in the United States and close to 20 million subs by 2014.

Intel Research Day

2009-06-25T13:44:00.002+08:00

Intel said it can accommodate 40 percent more callers on its WiMax wireless networks by grouping similar voice-over-Internet-Protocol calls together. Grouping the calls means the WiMax base station can issue commands in bulk rather than individually, reducing the overhead of the communications and freeing up capacity for more callers, explains C/Net.

The above map shows the Portland, Oregon, region. The technology was one of many Intel Labs projects that researchers demonstrated at Intel Research Day at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., on Thursday.

The company also showed off a new variation on wireless power transmission, running a speaker without any other power source. Two flat copper coils are used in the technology, each tuned to resonate at a particular frequency.

Intel Research Day featured nearly 40 projects and concepts in areas like eco-technology, 3-D Internet, enterprise IT and wireless mobility. A LiveStream episode was available every hour.

Clearwire: We’re Gonna Be Big

2008-06-15T22:55:00.000+08:00

Clearwire on Thursday outlined a long-term view of growth for their new WiMAX venture with Sprint, forecasting revenue of over $17.5 billion by 2017.

In a slide presentation to investors, Clearwire said it expected the venture have some 30 million subscribers and cover as many as 220 million people by 2017.

In the nearer term, Clearwire expects to offer coverage to 60 to 80 million people by the end of next year, 100 million U.S. citizens by the end of 2010, and 200 million potential users by 2015.

Clearwire projected average revenue per user at $60 to $65, with free cash flow of $3.8 billion in that time frame. Free cash flow refers to earnings, excluding amortization and depreciation, but including capital expenditures.

CEO Ben Wolff said the company will only need $2 billion to $2.3 billion of additional capital — on top of the $3.2 billion invested by Google, Intel and its cable friends — to complete its planned mobile WiMax network. “Once we close this [Sprint] deal, Clearwire’s average spectrum position will be over 120MHz per market,” said Wolff. Previously the company has been offering services in 30MHz to 33MHz of spectrum per market.

The venture deal is expected to close at the end of 2008. Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks “have already committed to enter into non-exclusive wholesale agreements with New Clearwire.” Under the arrangement, the companies will become mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that can resell Clearwire services under their own brands.

By 2014 Clearwire forecasts nearly 20 million Mobile WiMAX customers in a territory covering about 200 million U.S. citizens. ABI Research forecasts that by 2013 there will be some 32 million LTE subscribers world-wide, with the United States getting around one quarter of that total, or about 8 million.

WiMAX Open Patent Alliance

2008-06-15T22:54:00.002+08:00

Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Intel, Samsung, Sprint, and Clearwire, plan Monday to announce (webcast) the creation of an organization called the Open Patent Alliance, says C/Net.

OPA will form a WiMAX patent pool to help participating companies obtain access to patent licenses from patent owners at a predictable cost. It’s an effort to prevent costly royalty rates that might deter adoption of the wireless technology.

The Open Patent Alliance will issue a call for WiMAX essential patents for inclusion in its patent pool. An independent third-party reviewer will serve as the “patent referee” and will evaluate submitted patents to determine how essential they are to the WiMAX standard and WiMAX Forum profiles. While the OPA initially will focus its efforts on the WiMAX standard, it may work with other industry groups in the future.

Last year Cisco bought Navini which had developed a beamformed MIMO and smart beamforming approach to Mobile WiMAX.

“We haven’t seen a broad proliferation of cellular technology in anything other than handsets because the model is closely held and restrictive,” said Sriram Viswanathan, general manager for WiMax at Intel Capital. The companies hope to make to bring mobile WiMax to MP3 music players, gaming devices, smartphones, and a plethora of other consumer electronics devices.

However, several well-known WiMAX providers are not on the list, notably Motorola, Qualcomm and Alvarion. Motorola officials have not yet said whether they plan to join the new alliance.

Regardless of the number of vendors who join a patent alliance, “it only takes one patent holder to cause problems for the rest,” said industry analyst Craig Mathias . In any technology with numerous players and patents held by various companies, “there will always be the question of whether somebody is stepping on somebody’s intellectual property,” he said.

3.65GHz WiMAX Rolls Out

2008-06-15T22:54:00.001+08:00

Webformix announced the launch of several WiMAX transmitters throughout Central Oregon this week. Webformix says they are the first to launch 3.65GHz WiMAX service on the West Coast.

“WiMAX not only allows us to offer a huge increase in speed and range over traditional WiFi technology, but also meets security requirements for HIPAA and military applications,” said Eric Ozrelic, CEO of Webformix. Both businesses and residents can use the service, starting at $40 per month.

The Bend Bulletin reviews area competitors including cable ISP BendBroadband, Qwest DSL and cellular data services and Clearwire. Others include Bend-based I Love My WiFi a WiFi-based service started in 2006 and Community Broadband, based in Redmond.

The 3.65 GHz service will offer competitive rates with BendBroadband and Qwest, says the company.

Webformix WiMAX service is available in Bend now and will be available throughout Central Oregon, including homes and businesses in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Powell Butte, Madras and Crooked River Ranch, across approximately 2,500 square miles, by July 1st, says the company.

Metro WISP Towerstream has completed a trial using Alvarion 3.65 GHz WiMAX gear, and is planning a major market rollout reports Telephony Magazine.

Towerstream’s wireless backhaul services in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and Dallas have all used pre-WiMAX equipment from Aperto Networks and Alvarion, most in the 5.8 GHz unlicensed frequencies. Towerstream plans to use Alvarion 3.65 GHz gear going forward in all new deployments.

Towerstream won’t retire any of its current equipment, but the ISP will now use WiMAX gear on its T-1 replacement services. For larger companies, Towerstream will continue to use dedicated point-to-point links supplied by DragonWave and Ceragon Networks.

Towerstream’s new 3.65 GHz gear, like others using the 3.65 GHz band, requires all operators to register their equipment in the markets they deploy in. While competitors may use the same spectrum, they must to do it in coordination with one another, creating an unlicensed band with some protections to its users.

Rapid Link is also offering voice and data via 3.65 GHz WiMax service in the Atlanta Metropolitan area to the public.

Matt Liotta, Chief Technology Officer of Rapid Link, states, “We are clearly ahead of the competition and the technology power curve with this offering. Rapid Link is proud to be a licensed WiMax carrier offering this breakthrough service to our foundation of customers in the greater Atlanta area.”

Zhone: Line-driven “N” MuniFi

2008-06-15T22:53:00.002+08:00

Zhone Technologies today introduced SkyZhone, a “802.11n” network platform for the metro Wi-Fi space. SkyZhone is designed to serve both licensed public-safety (4.9 GHz) and unlicensed (2.4 GHz) bands.

Zhone’s unique features include;

Draft 802.11n with an all-MIMO antenna architecture
Integrated DSL backhaul and line powering.
Increased capacity and reliability for municipal and commercial Wi-Fi networks.

Telcos may find SkyZhone’s built-in DSL backhaul and integrated line powering an attractive alternative. Instead of nodes inter-connecting through a mesh network, SkyZhone features a star configuration. Telcos can run multiple DSL lines directly to SkyZhone nodes. Each SkyZhone uses at least 2 phone lines and up to 4 phone lines.

The biggest advantage of the SkyZhone solution is probably the amount of backhaul available. Each Access Point has its own backhaul to the wired network. Typically 10 Mbps of backhaul is available.

Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers (DSLAM), in many neighborhoods, connect DSLs to the Central Office. DSLAMs can power and supply SkyZhones with more bandwidth than other alternatives. With the added range of MIMO and “N”, Zhone claims fewer nodes will be required for large scale WiFi networks. They use Broadcom chips in the design.

Zhone also has a complete line of DSLAMs enabling the deployment of services to a range of locations.

Zhone says ACD.net, mid-Michigan’s largest independent Phone and Internet Provider, is using SkyZhone in Lansing and Springfield, Michigan. In Lansing, ACD.net has deployed a public safety 4.9GHz network with a consumer Wi-Fi network for video, voice and data in the 2.4GHz band. In neighboring Springfield, ACD.net is utilizing the system to deliver Internet access at subsidized rates for residents in a 6 square mile portion of the city.

Zhone says their “N” basestation “listens” better, extending the effective range. But without 802.11n on both sides, the effect is likely to be minimal. Still, for nodes that need high capacity, such as serving video, the SkyZhone approach may be an answer.

Other approaches using MIMO include Wavion, a Metro and Rural Wi-Fi vendor promoting beamforming, which recently announced the release of a new SW version supporting self-backhaul.

Wavion’s spatially adaptive base stations have been extended to provide self-backhaul to neighboring base stations using their beamforming technology that leverages six radios and antennas.

Motorola: LTE for 700 & 2.6 GHz

2008-06-15T22:53:00.001+08:00

Motorola today said its Long-Term Evolution (LTE) solutions next year will include 700MHz and 2.6GHz products.

Timing is critical for LTE announcements. Next week is the big Telecom show, Nxtcomm. NXTcomm has replaced SUPERCOMM as the one telecom-centric event for network-enabled voice, video, and data.

Operators are loath to install 700 MHz 3G basestations, just to pull them out two years later for 4G, so a solution for the new 700MHz and 2.6 GHz bands would be attractive.

Just as soon as there’s a LTE standard, of course.

Mobile operators are battling Mobile WiMAX which is widely perceived to have a 2-3 lead over LTE. Motorola also announced that its LTE solution will support the future LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) variant for operators with TDD spectrum holding. “Leveraging our WiMAX TDD infrastructure, we have designed a common LTE platform that is capable of both LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and TDD, offering global operators the simplicity and economies of scale across markets,” said Darren McQueen, Motorola vice president, Wireless Broadband Access Technologies.

“We believe deploying LTE in the 700 MHz band is mandatory to meet the needs of wireless carriers in the U.S. market as well as a number of other countries globally,” said Darren McQueen, Motorola vice president, Wireless Broadband Access Technologies. “In addition, there is a clear demand for LTE in 2.6GHz spectrum band to meet the needs of GSM carriers that have already secured the spectrum in the global market.”

Motorola says it is engaged in LTE trials with operators in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. The knowledge gained from these LTE trials, coupled with Motorola’s expertise in OFDM, deploying and managing WiMAX networks for Sprint and Clearwire, will contribute to the development of their LTE portfolio, says the company.

Motorola’s LTE base station has a common controller unit that can be shared between WiMAX 802.16e and LTE, plus a variety of radio head solutions to meet specific customer requirements.

The portfolio includes frame based-mounted radios, remote radio heads and tower top radios to support a wide variety of LTE deployment scenarios across newly available spectrum as well as existing GSM, UMTS and CDMA spectrum. Motorola’s flexible eNode B architecture allows many spectrum bands to be supported with limited development investment.

Wavesat, a semiconductor company, in May introduced a family of multimodal chipsets that combine WiMAX, Wi-Fi and migration to LTE. Motorola is working on the same thing. But 4G Is Just One Piece of the Mobile Broadband IP Puzzle. Getting the backend components to interoperate is the tricky bit.

DesignArt Networks launched today a WiMax silicon platform aimed at combating 4G backhaul costs and announced plans for a similar LTE product. Their new System-on-Chip (SoC) platform integrates base station and backhaul capabilities, using spectrum normally dedicated for the last mile for backhaul.

The real battle between WiMAX and LTE will be at 2.6 GHz, which European governments as well as the International Telecommunication Union have identified as broadband wireless bands. Sweden has already auctioned off its 2.6 GHz spectrum, and the UK, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands are planning auctions this year, though there may be delays.

Sprint: We’re the “3rd Pipe”

2008-06-15T22:52:00.001+08:00

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire filed a petition with the FCC this week saying it would provide high-speed Internet access that rivaled wired-line broadband when it merged. It also said:

The new merged company, Clearwire Corp. would reach 140 million people within 30 months.
Clearwire Corp. would provide high-speed access capable of 2-way video conferencing to police, firefighters and schools.
Their service would be an alternative broadband platform, or ‘third pipe.”
The service would be open and customers would have a choice and plans and they wouldn’t have to buy equipment from the merged company.
They could only provide the whole nation with combined forces.
They said companies like Verizon and AT&T are “likely loathe to deploy wireless broadband in a manner that would cannibalize their landline business.”

iPCS, a Sprint Nextel affiliate operating in Schaumburg, Illinois, has filed a lawsuit to block the joint venture. The wireless provider, with 640,600 subscribers in seven states, alleges the new Clearwire service would compete with in its markets and therefore violates an exclusivity agreement signed with Sprint in 1999.

Data’s impact on Verizon Wireless’ bottom line could approach US$10 billion this year, said Doreen Tobin, CFO of Verizon Communications at a Lehman Brothers Wireless Conference last month. “Today data revenues represent 23 percent of our service revenues (and) wireless data revenues grew 65 percent in 2007,” Tobin said.

Verizon spent $9.36 Billion on 700 mhz C Block “open access” spectrum covering most of the lower 48 and reportedly spent over $45 billion on EV-DO over the last eight years. Everything must go with LTE. “We increased our spectrum inventory by about 60 percent. Across the top 100 markets we will have a total average spectrum depth of about 85 MHz,” said Tobin.

With the new Sprint/Clearwire/Cable venture, Clearwire will have 120Mhz to play with in major markets, compared to the 12Mhz available on 700 Mhz owned by AT&T and Verizon.

Battle for Britain

2008-06-15T22:51:00.001+08:00

The always cogent Caroline Gabriel says the UK’s upcoming auction of 2.6GHz mobile broadband spectrum is intensely anticipated, partly because it is the first major European market to make the move. But also because it represents the best chance for a WiMAX operator to gain a national license in a leading EU economy.

The UK 3G operators have no particular desire to see an early auction. If BT (or another bidder from outside their ranks) does win spectrum, they will have to face yet another competitor. And they do not have an urgent need for 2.6GHz themselves–most are just rolling out HSPA and the 3G networks are not at capacity.

Since the five cellcos will almost certainly use LTE if they get 2.6GHz licenses, they will not be able to start build-out for at least another 18 months.

For WiMAX vendors, a delay in this flagship auction would be a major blow. To get any inroads into mature mobile markets, WiMAX needs to exploit its headstart over LTE, especially since the two technologies are very similar in what they actually deliver.

Upcoming 2.5 GHz Spectrum Auctions (2008)
SOURCE: WiMAX Day

Date Frequency Country Regulator

Q1 2008 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz UK OFCOM

Q2 2008 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz Austria RTR

Q2 2008 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz Sweden PTS

Q2 2008 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz Ukraine NKRZ

Q2 2008 3.4 ~ 3.69 GHz Chile SUBTEL

Q3 2008 3.4 ~ 3.69 GHz Brazil Anatel

Q4 2008 2.3 ~ 2.39 GHz Hong Kong OFTA

2009 - 2010 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz Hong Kong OFTA

The incumbent telco, British Telecom, has no mobile arm, which makes it likely to bid for a license. If it does and it wins, BT is likely to adopt WiMAX rather than LTE to take advantage of the headstart WiMAX would provide.

The advantage is pointless if potential customers cannot get their hands on suitable spectrum. If the operators have to wait for a year or more for auctions, the playing field with LTE will have levelled, even for non-3G carriers.

British regulatory body Office of Communications (Ofcom) is due to open up spectrum in the 2.5GHz later this year.

It will be the UK’s single-largest release of radio spectrum to date, suitable for a range of new services such as mobile broadband and advanced wireless services delivered using WiMAX and 3G technology.

Ofcom will release the spectrum in the 2010-2025 MHz and 2500-2690 MHz bands on a technology and service neutral basis. In total, 205 MHz will be available and Ofcom expects to start the auction process in the summer.

Meanwhile, Clearwire this week praised the European Commission’s decision of May 21, 2008, aimed at harmonizing the availability and efficient use of 3400 ~ 3800 MHz frequencies in Europe. The EC will require Member States to quickly move to allow mobility in these frequency bands.

“The Decision is meaningful for Clearwire’s European operations, where we widely utilize 3.5GHz spectrum,” said Benjamin G. Wolff, chief executive officer of Clearwire. “With extensive holdings in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Romania, and Spain, and our affiliate’s holdings in Denmark, our licenses cover more than 200 million people throughout Europe”.

“Clearwire fully supports the Commission’s view that as mobile wireless broadband services become the primary service used with this spectrum, further harmonization will favor pan-European roaming amongst these frequencies.”

WiMax hopefuls in the U.K. may find themselves shut out of the 2.6 GHz auction by the Office of Communications, says Unstrung. Five mobile operators are potentially bidding to hoard WiMax spectrum. Ofcom will auction 2010-2025 MHz and 2500-2690 MHz bands (known as 2.6 GHz) on a technology and service neutral basis.

Ofcom has allocated a certain amount of licensed spectrum for time division duplex (TDD), or unpaired spectrum, and a certain amount FDD, or paired spectrum. Analysts and WiMax players expect the U.K.’s mobile operators to buy up the TDD spectrum to keep out new Mobile WiMax competitors.

Meanwhile, in the UK, businesses using British Telcom’s Business service can now turn their BT Business Hub into a BT Openzone wireless hotspot at no cost. This will allow anyone visiting their premises to log on to a separate secure internet channel. When a new version of the BT business hub comes out in July, it will come with the hotspot feature built in.

There are already 2,500 BT Openzone Premier hotspots at hotels, airports, railroad stations and other sites, plus hotspots covering the centers of 12 cities in the UK. There are also some 70,000 BT consumers have joined the BT FON Wi-Fi community, BT said.

The 2.5 GHz spectrum profile is considered to be the “sweet spot” for many of the world’s initial deployments for mobile WiMAX, including Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

The 2006 AWS auction in the United States was billed as broadband spectrum for all Americans, but essentially was crafted for San Antonio-based SBC which needed “3G” spectrum. The company later acquired AT&T Wireless, then AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile bought billions worth of AWS spectrum (1.7/2.1 GHz) which will likely be used for LTE in the United States.

Juniper Research predicts 24 million LTE (Long Term Evolution) subs by 2012.

Senza Fili Consulting expects only 54 Million WiMAX Subscribers by 2012 while the WiMAX Forum projects more than 133 million WiMAX users globally by 2012.

ComputerWorld compares WiMAX with LTE, but overlooks a couple of key points. First, the bandwidth available on 700 MHz (12 Mhz) is limited and the 100Mbps figure does not apply. Clearwire and Sprint have some ten times that bandwidth at 2.5 GHz. Secondly, ComputerWorld indicates WiMAX is two years away with LTE 3-4 years away from mass deployment. It will take a long time to deploy LTE networks nationwide, and Mobile WiMax is commonly believed to have a 2-4 year advantage. The figures supplied by Gartner analyst Phillip Redman and quoted by ComputerWorld are debatable.

Verizon spent over $45 billion on EV-DO over the last eight years. Everything must go with LTE.

Sprint has 90MHz of 2.5GHz spectrum, covering 80 markets which it picked up for a song. Clearwire’s CEO Ben Wolff says it will reach 120 million to 140 million people by the end of 2010, before LTE even gets started. An LTE upgrade ($100K), on 50,000 AT&T towers will be a lot more expensive then WiMAX — it might cost upwards of $50B. Even if you had a “standard” and spectrum and handsets and backhaul. WiMAX will come “free” with most laptops.

WiMax: East Meets West

2008-06-15T22:50:00.001+08:00

WiMAX has been deployed in more than 80 countries worldwide and commercial networks will continue to grow in number and size in 2008, reports Infonetics. Some 2.2 million WiMAX subscribers (fixed and mobile) in 2007 were led by the Asia Pacific region using fixed WiMAX.

Broadband internet connectivity is growing in Asia, but more than 96 per cent of the region’s population (almost 3.7 billion people) does not yet have access to broadband. The Asia-Pacific region could have as many as 43 million WiMax subscribers by the end of 2013, according to new forecasts by Frost and Sullivan.

Of the 17 Asian countries in the study that were ranked for regulatory support and operator willingness to deploy the technology, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India topped the list.

But China and Indonesia have made very little progress in licensing WiMax,” notes industry analyst Marc Einstein, adding that China alone has the power to make or break WiMax service in the region if its government continues to delay WiMax roll-out as it did with 3G.

Given a favorable government stance, China is forecast to account for as much as 45 percent (or 19.35 million) of the total WiMax subscribers in the region by 2013. The 2.3-GHz and 2.5-GHz bands are ideal mobile WiMAX spectrums, but China’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII) allocated those for 3G-TDD technology and cable transmission, respectively.

India’s BSNL and Japan’s KDDI continue to pursue aggressive WiMAX deployments, says the study.

India’s BSNL plans to launch a $750 million WiMax network to cover one sixth of India’s 1 billion-plus population, and has already issued the first tender for WiMax equipment. WiChorus says its gear can help offer Internet connectivity without the phone lines for as little as $15 a month.

India’s Ministry of Telecommunications is preparing to roll out 3G guidelines after years of delay. Wireless operators such as AT&T and Etihad Etisalat are expected to enter India’s 3G market.

Japan’s Wireless Broadband Planning, KDDI’s WiMax joint venture, was awarded a national WiMax license at 2.5 GHz at the end of 2007. The venture has committed to spending 145 billion Japanese yen ($1.3 billion) through March 2014. The other license winner in Japan is personal handyphone system (PHS) operator Willcom, which plans to invest $1.7 billion over six years on a next-generation PHS network at 2.5 GHz.

UQ Communication is a consortium consisting of 6 companies such as Kyocera and Intel Capital, led by KDDI. A trial in Tokyo and Yokohama from February of 2009 will be followed by nation-wide commercial Mobile WiMAX service in the summer of 2009.

KT has aggressively pushed WiBro service in South Korea, attracting some 150,000 subscribers. However, the Korean government allowed only data service through WiBro - not voice - limiting the potential market. KT hopes to have 400,000 WiMax subscribers by the end of this year. Cellular provider SK Telecom also has WiBro licenses but has been less enthusiastic since it is also a cellular carrier.

Five of Taiwan’s licensed WiMAX operators – Global Mobile, First International Telecom (Fitel), Vmax Telecom, Tatung Telecom and Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) are rolling out WiMAX services in Taiwan. Global Mobile, Vmax and FITEL won licenses for northern Taiwan, while Far EasTone, Tatung and Vastar Cable TV System won licenses for the south. FITEL expects to have 52 Mobile WiMAX base stations operating in Taipei City by the beginning of June. The Fitel deployment is part of the massive M-Taiwan project to unwire the country.

Enforta today announced that it will expand its operating footprint in Russia by another 22 cities during June, increasing the total service territory to 55 cities. Enforta has the largest market share amongst Russia’s wireless broadband operators at 20-22% of the total market.

The new cities include Kemerovo, Bratsk, Angarsk, Biysk, Rubtsovsk, Prokopyevsk, Tolyatti, Novokuybyshevsk, Saratov, Dimitrovgrad, Ujno-Sakhalinsk, Astrakhan, Krasnodar, Taganrog, Shakhty, Novocherkassk, Novomoskovsk, Novotroitsk, Rybinsk, Magnitogorsk, Orsk, and Kamensk Uralskiy. They also announced that it is on schedule to launch another 10 cities in the fourth quarter of 2008.

“By month’s end, Enforta’s footprint will include cities with an aggregate population exceeding 55 million,” said Victor Ratnikov, General Director.

Enforta was formed in October 2003 with the objective to provide broadband services using WiMAX and other advanced technologies in Russia’s regional capitals. The Company is owned by Baring Vostok Capital Partners, Sumitomo Corporation, Bessemer Venture Partners, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In December of 2003 Enforta acquired ZAO Prestige-Internet and in 2005 they acquired OOO Evgenia. Later in 2005 the company launched its first wireless broadband services.

Other WiMax networks are being launched in various regions in Russia by Synterra, Start-Telecom, Comstar-UTS, and Media-Net. Summa Telecom Company, announced the launch of its own network,having been granted a large frequency resource across Russia. The first cities to be launched in are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, and Vladivostok. Summa Telecom is owned by Russian businessman Ziyavudinu Magomedov, whose principal businesses include oil transport logistics and metals.

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 89.64 million subscribers. Vimpelcom, Russia’s 2nd largest cell operator, is owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman’s Alfa Group and Norway’s Telenor which have been locked in a court battle over expansion overseas, something Russian shareholders contend was blocked by Telenor.

The Russian State Commission of Radio Frequencies (GKRCh) plans to transfer 2300 ~ 2400 MHz (2.3 GHz) from the military to public WiMAX.

Intel chairman Craig Barrett is in Russia this week to support Intel’s work with Comstar-UTS to launch a WiMAX network. At a press conference in Novosibirsk, Barrett said the network will be launched “in Moscow at the end of this year.” Barrett said he hopes to discuss the issue of frequency allocation with Russian government leaders at the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg this week. “If we can move on the liberalisation of frequencies for WiMAX, it will be very cool,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Switzerland-based telecom holding company Trivon Group launched a WiMAX network under the Virgin Connect brand (pdf) in Russia. The company will offer broadband access, VoIP and value-added services to corporate and residential customers in 32 Russian regions including Moscow, St Petersburg and all major Russian cities with population over 1m.

The United Arab Emirates is the most connected country in the Arab World, according to a recent study. Etisalat, the UAE’s largest telecommunications operator, is teaming with iPass to provide hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspot locations within the UAE. Hotspot locations include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Khorfakkan, four international airports, major hotels and coffee shops across the country. Etisalat is a GSM provider. A second GSM operator in UAE, “du”, is testing WiMAX with Motorola. Both du and Etisalat have received licenses for 3.5 GHz spectrum.

Intel Capital is one of the winners in Sweden’s 4G auction, which concluded in May. Intel will pay about US$26.4 million for 50MHz of TDD spectrum in the 2.6GHz band. The rest of the winners, HI3G Access AB, Tele2, Telenor and TeliaSonera, currently offer mobile broadband services using HSPA and may use their new frequencies for LTE. A Mobile WiMAX pilot network in Finland has hosted by Savonlinna Telephone Company (SPY). SPY currently offers fixed WiMAX broadband services in both rural and urban areas.

Together with Asia, Latin America has proved to be one of the growth areas for WIMAX. Ertach in Argentina was one of the early adopters of WiMAX technology with the network primarily designed for corporate customers and public service agencies. Its fixed WiMAX services had commenced in 2004. It is now implementing Mobile WiMAX with Alvarion technology.

In Brazil, Embratel, has completed the first phase of the WiMAX rollout by covering the 12 state capitals with Fixed WiMAX. In Peru, EMAX S.A. is using Navini gear in the 2.5-2.7 GHz band. Additional licenses in the 2.5-2.7 GHz band are being auctioned in Peru.

In Chile, Telmex (which also owns Embratel Brazil) has been operating a Fixed WiMAX network and recently upgraded to cover most of the country. A mobile WiMAX network being built by VTR (a cable TV and internet operator) is now nearing completion. 700 MHz spectrum is also planned to be auctioned in Chile by its telecom regulator, Subtel. In Bolivia, Entel is building a Mobile WiMAX ( IEEE802.16e-2005) band based on technology provided by Alcatel Lucent.

3G iPhone Day

2008-06-15T22:48:00.000+08:00

Hey kids! Get ready to jump around like blithering technophile idiots once again, says Dan Jones of Unstrung. The 3G iPhone, coming July 11, is expected to be the main attraction at Apple’s developers’ conference at 9am (PDT) Monday. You can watch it live on Engadget and Gizmodo which have live coverage as well as Apple’s streaming video site.

Apple’s new iPhone, with built-in HSPA and GPS, is expected to be accompanied by support for corporate e-mail and a slate of new programs that could help boost sales past 10 million by the end of this year.

The price is expected to be $199, down from the current $399 and $499, with AT&T kicking in a couple hundred dollars to make the devices more affordable.

So far, Apple has sold just over 5 million phones. That pales in comparison with competitors. Windows Mobile, which provides software for phones from HTC, Samsung, Palm and others, says it will sell 20 million phones this year.

About 1 billion cellphones are sold every year. No. 1 manufacturer Nokia, for instance, sells more cellphones in a week than Apple has shipped to date, notes USA Today. According to researcher Gartner, Nokia sold 435 million cellphones in 2007. The “real verdict” on the iPhone’s success hasn’t been reached, say some observers. “The numbers are too small to call a home run.”

With a data plan, consumers pay an additional monthly charge — usually $15 to $25 — for access to the Internet on their phones, adding greatly to the carrier’s bottom line.

Jobs says location services is going to be a really big deal on the 3G iPhone. “We get location from celltowers, from WiFi, and now we get it from GPS.” So that’s A-GPS. “We can actually do tracking.”

“The big news, I’m happy to tell you, the 8GB will sell for $199. We think the iPhone 3G will be affordable to almost everyone. 16GB model for $299 — for that model we have a white one.”

Consumers will now pay $30 a month for unlimited data service from AT&T, compared to $20/month last year. Voice service starts at $40 a month. Business users will pay $45 per month for data, in addition to a voice plan. The $199 iPhone requires a two year contract. So the 3G iPhone will cost a minimum of $70/month in addition to the $199 sticker from AT&T - fairly typical smartphone pricing.

AT&T Video Share could be a featured attraction. Video Share allows users to share live video over wireless phones while on a voice call. The application is enabled with AT&T’s HSUPA upgrade for faster upstream speeds. [NOTE: A commenter may be right about this service not being a big deal for the new iPhone]

Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox place-shifting TV device, is also building a version of its SlingPlayer software for the iPhone and iPod touch for remote video access and streaming.

Jobs is also expected to demonstrate some third-party iPhone applications, says Technology Review, which could include games that use the phone’s accelerometer as a control, new mapping software, and quick ways to update profiles on social networks such as Facebook or MySpace.

Platial’s iPhone application could map out 150 million pieces of user-supplied location-based data while Pelago will offer a version of its software, called Whrrl. The software enables “social discovery”. Whrrl proposes new places to explore or activities to try, using the iPhone’s map and self-location features, as well as information about the prior activities of the user’s friends.

Vollee, a 3G streaming services provider, began offering a free, open beta version of Second Life for cell phones. It’s available for 40 Wi-Fi-enabled and 3G cell phones with more handset compatibility coming soon. Including the iPhone.

Apple’s App Store is the only way to get official third-party iPhone applications onto your device. Developers have been submitting their applications to Apple for testing and verification since the iPhone SDK became available, this March.

Data from M:Metrics indicates that iPhone users are data junkies. iPhone users spent just 46.5% of their time on the device making calls, compared to 71.7% for the typical cell phone user.

Could the iTouch be enhanced with a WiMAX chip from Sequans? Well, yes it could. Don’t plan on it today, though.

Maybe that’s what Samsung’s Omnia is all about. It features WiFi, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, GPS, microSD, FM radio, a wide screen for videos, a 5 megapixel camera and runs Windows Mobile. It will be unveiled at the CommunicAsia trade fair in Singapore starting June 17.

But will it enable Android apps?

“Our motto is “Think Different.” Not “Stand in line like a bunch of friggin sheep.” Comprende? You know what? I hate each and every one of you. There. I said it. I’ve wanted to say that for years and now I have. You smug pricks, you phony hippies, thinking you’re all so cool and smart and hip because you’re sitting there at an Apple event when really you’re just a bunch of poser frigtards…”

Computex 2008: Netbooks & WiMAX

2008-06-15T22:47:00.000+08:00

At Computex in Taipei, Intel rolled out two new versions of its Atom processor aimed at powering a new generation of low cost computers. It will also roll out high-end chip sets for more traditional desktops, targeting high definition video. Intel’s Sean Maloney kicked off the keynote with an Intel-centric view of the world. PC World has indepth coverage of Computex 2008.

The new Atom parts include the N270 for so-called netbooks and the N230 for what Intel calls net-tops. The chips run at up to 1.6 GHz, provide 512 Mbytes cache and a 533 MHz front-side bus. They have average power consumption as low as 2.5 W.

The portable netbooks should sell for about $250-300, reports EE Times, while some net-tops may cost as little as $200, said Erik Reid, director of mobile platforms at Intel. The new price points could drive as many as 100 million new users to the Web by 2011, the company forecasts.

The main focus at Computex was on the Netbook. The $299 EeePC, running Linux on a 7″ screen, became a sales phenomena. Since its launch in October 2007, the Eee PC series has sold more than 1 million units, at between $399 and $549 each.

It has spurred a variety of small, inexpensive Netbooks. Most now run on an Intel Atom processor at 1.6 MHz, feature XP or Linux, real hard drive space and wireless options like WiMax. Intel estimates a netbook using the Atom N270 processor running at 1.6GHz, a 7-inch to 10-inch screen, 512MBs of RAM, and 2GBs to 4GBs of flash storage should cost around $250.

ASUS, which started it all, now has a Eee PC 900 with a 9-inch screen and the Eee 1000 with a 10-inch screen. Both feature an Atom processor and WiMAX options. The 10.2-inch 1000-series features either a 40GB SSD on the Linux-based 1000 or 80GB traditional hard disk on the XP or Linux-based 1000H. But prices are steep; from $550-$650.
Acer’s Aspire One is equipped with the Intel Atom, Linpus Linux Lite or Windows XP Home, and comes with 512 Mbytes or 1 Gbyte of RAM memory and an a 8.9-inch CrystalBrite LED backlit display. Storage options include either an 8-Gbyte SSD or an 80-Gbyte internal hard drive. It’ll also sport an integrated WiMax module when the networks finally light up. Expected to hit the US in September for $399.
Intel introduced a small “nettop” board based on the Mini-ITX standard. It includes the 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor, an Intel 945GC Express chipset with GMA 950 graphics, and Serial ATA (SATA) with USB 2.0 for about $80. It will compete with other small “nettops” like the Asus Eee Box which packs an Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz), 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard disk drive, and Windows XP for $299.
The MSI Wind has a 10-inch “netbook” and introduced a 8.9-inch model today. Dubbed the Wind U90, it’s functionally identical to the 10-inch model. The Windows version features XP Home, a 1.6GHz Atom, 945GMS graphics chipset, 1GB of 667MHz memory, and an 80GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, three USB ports, and a 4-in-1 media card reader. The 6-cell battery is rated to run for 5.5 hours. Laptop Magazine has a review.
The 2goPC by CTL is available at Amazon for $399 with a 900 MHz Celeron M Processor, 512 MB, and 40 GB Hard Drive.
Gigabyte’s M724 mini-tablet and M912 mini-tablet feature touch-screens, run Vista or Ubuntu Linux atop Intel’s Atom processor.
Sony was showing a generic prototype based on the Via OpenBook at WiMax Expo. It featured a 1.6GHz Via C7-M processor with Sony as the manufacturer.
Via’s Open Book with WiMax support. GCT is supplying WiMax chips for the Asus and Via machines. The hardware design was released under an open-source license last week. It’s intended to make customization easier and shorten design time. The OpenBook (below) is based on Via’s 1.6 GHz C7-M processor and VX800 graphics chipset. The design includes an 8.9-inch 1,024 pixels by 600 pixel screen, 80Gig, 2.5-inch HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, a 4-in-1 card reader and front and back 2 megapixel webcams. There’s also room for 2GB of RAM and you can run Vista, XP or your Linux flavor of choice.

Intel was also demoing Centrino 2 (Montevina) gear at Computex, using the Asus M51VA WiMAX client.

Intel’s new Montevina architecture, with new graphics, memory and communications components, has been delayed a month until July 14th.

Intel expects that a WiFi/WiMAX option will be essentially “free” when tied to its Centrino and Atom processors, stimulating sales of both Netbooks and full-size Notebooks.

Nvidia unveiled their laptop GPUs, called the GeForce 9M Series, expected to compete with Intel. The new chips are said to offer many of the same benefits found on Nvidia’s latest desktop offerings.

AMD Rolls Out Mobile Platform

2008-06-15T22:46:00.003+08:00

AMD today formally introduced its new notebook platform, which has been referred to under the code-name of Puma. Major laptop makers including HP, Dell, Acer and Toshiba have already agreed to use it.

The Turion X2 Ultra chip (formerly code-named “Griffin”), is a CPU with two K8 cores (the same cores used in the Athlon processors) that let the chip set different power levels for each core and the integrated “north bridge” chip, power optimized HyperTransport 3; and a mobile-optimized memory controller designed for DDR-800 memory.

The heart of the platform is the new 7-series chipset with support for the ATI Mobility Radeon 3000 family of graphics and Wi-Fi support from a third-party chipset (such as Atheros, Broadcom, or Marvell).

The graphics come in several flavors. Most distinctive is the HD 3000 integrated graphics solution, which includes support for Avivo HD (for better hardware-assistend HD decode). AMD believes this will far outperform Intel’s integrated graphics. All the chips support Direct X 10.

In addition, AMD will be offering support for what it calls “ATI XGP” - essentially an external box with even more graphics that connects via special cable to the PCI Express bus. This will allow multi-monitor support, TV tuners, etc.

Intel’s share is about 85 percent, largely because of the success of its Centrino line, says the NY Times. AMD hopes the new chip will help the company maintain its 15 percent share in the laptop market.

Intel was scheduled to deliver its updated Centrino chip set, code-named Montevina, in June but last week the company revealed that the product would be delayed to July 14. Intel executives said the delay was because of technical problems associated with the chip’s graphics features as well as complications with its wireless certification.

MXtv Makes Its Move

2008-06-15T22:46:00.001+08:00

Taiwanese WiMAX operator Global Mobile has tapped NextWave Wireless for a joint technology field trial using NextWave’s MXtv technology for mobile television, interactive media services and digital audio. Global Mobile is one of six operators to win WiMAX licenses in the Taiwanese market.

NextWave Wireless plans to give WiMAX operators the ability to deliver mobile TV and digital audio over their networks. Their MXtv technology is compatible with the 802.16e standard. NextWave also has a joint development agreement with Huawei to integrate MXtv into their WiMAX products.

MXtv supports up to 30 frames per second of video with up to 45 mobile TV channels in 10 MHz. The technology also allows carriers to dynamically allocate spectrum based on content availability, time of day, user demand and live events.

MXtv is based on technology the company acquired through its $100 million purchase of IPWireless last year. IPWireless sold TD-CDMA network technology as well as TDtv mobile TV technology. TDtv is based on the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service standard, allows cellular carriers to broadcast TV content through the data channels of their existing networks.

Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei Technologies USA also plan to integrate NextWave’s MXtv technology into their WiMAX service in Taiwan. A single sector of Huawei’s WiMAX Basestation has a maximum throughput of 30 Mbps using 10 MHz.

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast lets a 3G cellular operator broadcast to thousands of users simultaneously on a single channel, similar to broadcast technolgy. MXtv is NextWave’s WiMAX iteration (using much larger channels).

Unlike MediaFLO, DVB-H, or other mobile television approaches, MXtv requires no tuner and no separate electronics. Media streaming is supported inside the WiMAX protocol.

Intel is planning to put their new Atom processor into at least two Mini-ITX boards later this year. Intel’s new D945GCLF motherboard is bundled with the 1.6Ghz Atom 230 processor, the 945GC chipset, a DDR2 slot, 2 SATA, IDE, a PCI slot, Intel GMA950 graphics, USB, Firewire, surround sound, parallel, serial, and a pair of PS2 ports — all for about $80.

Unstrung has Ten Things We Hate About Mobile Video.

Broadband Wireless Saves Money: CTIA

2008-06-15T22:44:00.000+08:00

Being able to access the Internet on-the-go is expected to generate $860 billion in additional gross domestic product in the next decade due to productivity gains, according to the report entitled “The Increasing Important Impact of Wireless Broadband Technology and Services on the U.S. Economy” (PDF), from the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association).

According to the report, in 2005, 68.8 million US enterprise users had mobile wireless services, with 25% using a mobile wireless broadband solution. By 2016, the US is projected to have 81.9 million mobile enterprise users, with 83% using wireless broadband.

The health care sector and small businesses are the big winners of wireless broadband deployments, says the CTIA. In 2005, productivity improvements due to use of mobile broadband solutions across the U.S. health care industry were valued at almost $6.9 billion. By 2016, that number will triple to $27.2 billion.

The report also examined the annual productivity gains and cost saving for the five largest U.S. states—California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois by using broadband wireless. The combined yearly cost savings for these five states alone, says the CTIA, is expected to increase from $10.1 billion in 2005 to more than $47 billion in 2016.

Cell towers now use about four T-1 lines (at 1.5 Mbps/each) for voice and data backhaul (at $200-$400/month each). A DS-3 delivers 44.736 Mbit/s (at $1500 to $3000 /month).

But WiMAX and LTE will require some 45 Mbps on each sector - perhaps 100 Mbps per tower says DragonWave (right). Three DS-3s could run $5K-$10K/month per tower and drive up the cost of broadband wireless.

Presumably, the CTIA would not be adverse to The Government subsiding their cellular-based LTE deployment, especially fiber to the tower, since data-centric Clearwire & Sprint are getting first dibs on high capacity wireless backhaul — a much cheaper alternative.

Ethernet backhaul is typically 30% – 50% lower in cost, says DragonWave. Ethernet benefits from the global high volume enterprise/LAN market, unlike cellular’s heritage SONET/TDM gear.

It will take a long time to deploy LTE networks nationwide, so Mobile WiMax has a 2-3 year advantage. LTE users must also be able to fall back to HSPA, raising the cost of both FDD CPEs and basestations. Inexpensive LTE femtocells — like the LTE spec itself — is wishful thinking.

A WiMAX/WiFi card is essentially “free”. It works indoors.

Taipei WiMAX Expo

2008-06-15T22:43:00.001+08:00

Taipei’s 2008 WiMAX Expo, June 2 - 6, has two shuttle bus routes linking different Exhibition Halls. All of the 20 shuttle buses are “WiMAX enabled” — simply by being there.

Intel is previewing their full size Asus Centrino 2 notebook with WiMax at the show. No PC card will be required when Intel’s Centrino 2 ships in July or August. The Echo Peak WiMAX card, hidden under the hood, is ready to roll (more or less).

Other announcements at the Taipei WiMAX Expo include:

ASUS introduced the Eee PC 901 WiMAX-enabled netbook and a couple of WiMAX clients including the WM25E1+, a Wave 1 CPE and the WUSB25E2V2, a WAVE2 USB Dongle.
The WiMax-enabled Eee PC 901 will use WiMax chips from San Jose, Calif.-based GCT Semiconductor, but versions of the Eee PC may also come with the Intel WiMax chipset. Engadget gave one a test drive at the show.
VIA’s new OpenBook WiMAX reference design includes supports screen resolutions of up to 1024×600, an HD video processor and 8-channel HD audio. GCT is also supplying Via’s WiMax chips.
Sequans is showcasing its new WiMax chip, the SQN1170, which can fit in an SD card.
Alcatel-Lucent showcased its turnkey WiMAX radio access networks, applications and CPE.
Intel Capital boosted its investments in WiMAX with a stake in Green Packet, the parent company of Packet One Networks to deploy Malaysia’s first commercially available nationwide 802.16e WiMAX network by June 2008, said to be the first large-scale commercial deployment of mobile WiMAX in Southeast Asia, and the first large-scale deployment of an 802.16e 2.3GHz WiMAX network outside Korea.
Five of Taiwan’s licensed WiMAX operators – Global Mobile, First International Telecom (Fitel), Vmax Telecom, Tatung Telecom and Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) – will also tout their forthcoming WiMAX services. Global Mobile, Vmax and FITEL won licenses for northern Taiwan, while Far EasTone, Tatung and Vastar Cable TV System won licenses for the south.

Taipai’s First International Telecom’s WiMAX network (FITEL) expects to have 52 Mobile WiMAX base stations operating in Taipei City by the beginning of June. FITEL has deployed Starent Networks’ solutions to enable high-bandwidth, multimedia services through its mobile WiMAX network.

The Fitel deployment is part of the M-Taiwan project. The M-Taiwan project is a government initiative to accelerate WiMAX ecosystem development and create a city-wide broadband network to support wireless broadband services.

M-Taiwan has been underway for 3 1/2 years and the government’s work, from issuing and deploying spectrum to assisting manufacturers to develop WiMAX equipment, is now largely done. The achievements will be showcased at the Taipei Show. By the year 2010, it is estimated that
wireless network subscribers will reach eight million.

Meanwhile, Asus is announcing its Atom-based 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 and 10-inch 1001 tomorrow at Computex. They’re based on a 1.6GHz Atom processor with 1GB of memory, Bluetooth, WiFi, memory card slot, and a 20GB SSD for Linux builds or 12GB SSD for Windows. It features a 4- or 6-hour battery life depending upon battery. ASUS’ CEO said they’ll be cutting prices on the older Celeron M 701 and 900 models.

Overhyping WiMAX can be dangerous, said Jan Nilsson, president of Far EasTone Telecom. At the WiMAX Forum Operator Summit, global carriers warned that creating unachievable expectations around the capabilities of WiMAX could create the same misconceptions over 3G in its first years of inception.

3G operators and vendors made unrealistic claims about the speeds of UMTS at the turn of the millennium, which were only met when high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) networks were introduced seven or eight years later, said Nilsson.

Canadian AWS Auction is On

2008-06-15T22:42:00.001+08:00

Canada’s government has launched an auction of wireless spectrum on Tuesday, reports Reuters, that will allow new players to break into the cellular phone market in the AWS band (1.7/2.1 GHz).

A total of 105 MHz of AWS radio spectrum will be open for bidding (map), which includes 40 MHz of AWS spectrum specifically set aside for new players, with another 65 MHz of spectrum for all bidders.

With only about 60 per cent of Canadians subscribing to a cellphone service, Canada is behind in adopting mobile communications. Canadian cellphone users pay higher prices than their U.S. or European counterparts, observers say, largely because there is less competition.

The three big players — Rogers Communications, Telus and Bell Canada Enterprises control about 95 percent of the wireless market in terms of revenue. A list of qualified bidders, released in April, included wireless newcomers Quebecor, Manitoba Telecom and Shaw Communications.

Analysts have doubts that any of the new players have enough money to launch very serious competition to the incumbents on a national scale. Quebecor, for example, is expected to initially target its home province of Quebec. Shaw, a cable and satellite TV company, has cautioned that its participation in the auction doesn’t necessarily mean it will build a network at all.

Manitoba Telecom suffered a setback last week when the consortium it had formed to participate in the auction dissolved. The company said it was still qualified to bid but analysts doubt it can expand its network beyond the province of Manitoba.

But the auction may result in increased competition, officials say, and pressure prices downward.

The auction is expected to raise up to $1 billion for the government treasury. Some 24 companies can bid electronically on 292 licenses in different geographical regions across Canada. The results of each round will be published on Industry Canada’s website.

In the first stage of the auction, officials raise the price on each license that received bids by 15 percent after each round. As the auction progresses and bids slow down, the price increase is smaller between rounds.

The AWS auction in the United States was held in 2006.

Top 10 Highest AWS Bidders
Bidders	Net total of high bids
1. T-Mobile	$4.2 billion
2. Verizon Wireless	$2.8 billion
3. SpectrumCo	$2.4 billion
4. MetroPCS	$1.4 billion
5. Cingular	$1.3 billion
6. Cricket	$710 million
7. Denali Spectrum	$365 million
8. Barat Wireless	$127 million
9. AWS Wireless	$116 million
10. Atlantic Wireless	$81 million
Click here to find out who is backing these bidders.

T-Mobile was the big AWS winner in the United States.

Upcoming 2.5 GHz Spectrum Auctions (2008)
SOURCE: WiMAX Day

Date	Frequency	Country	Regulator
Q1 2008	2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz	UK	OFCOM
Q2 2008	2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz	Austria	RTR
Q2 2008	2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz	Sweden	PTS
Q2 2008	2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz	Ukraine	NKRZ
Q2 2008	3.4 ~ 3.69 GHz	Chile	SUBTEL
Q3 2008	3.4 ~ 3.69 GHz	Brazil	Anatel
Q4 2008	2.3 ~ 2.39 GHz	Hong Kong	OFTA
2009 - 2010	2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz	Hong Kong	OFTA

European operators are eagerly anticipating the 2.5-2.6 GHz auctions planned for the next two years, says Jeff Orr. However, not every EU country is ready to move ahead.

Sweden was the first EU member state to conclude a 2.6 GHz sale with 14 channels of paired 5 MHz FDD spectrum and a single unpaired swath of 50 MHz for TDD use. The Swedish auction was the first foray of chipmaker Intel into the business of spectrum ownership.

Norway completed its 2.5 GHz auction in November 2007. The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) issued licenses to five companies, including: Arctic Wireless, Craig Wireless, Hafslund Telekom, NetCom, a subsidiary of TeliaSonera, and Telenor.

Several EU countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom are preparing for similar auctions from 2008-2010 in anticipation of next-generation mobile networks. While the 50 MHz TDD block recommended by CEPT is nothing to scoff at, mobile WiMAX systems are not invited to play in the 140 MHz sandbox dedicated to FDD systems, says Orr.

The Next Big Thing: Small

2008-06-15T22:41:00.001+08:00

Over 80 technical sessions on OpenSocial, Google App Engine, Android, Google Maps API, Google Web Toolkit, and more were featured at Google I/O, the company’s largest developer event.

Engadget says the oft-rumored HTC Dream was demoed with Android at the conference in San Francisco. PhoneMag has photos and a nice demo video, at the Googleplex.

The 3-inch by 5-inch touchscreen phone with a slider keyboard has an accelerometer so you to tilt and pan the device and Google Maps or Street View will track its orientation.

Although Android supported the touch screen, there was no support yet for multitouch, which permits two-finger controls such as pinching, says CNet.

However, Android could accommodate that technology if handset makers use multitouch-capable screens, said Andy Rubin, the Android project leader, in a press meeting after the speech.

“The amazing app has yet to be invented for mobile,” says Scott Jenson, manager for mobile user interface design at Google. People are still trying to figure out what people want to do with their mobile phones and how they want to use the mobile Web.

Developers at Mobile Portland got an update on Firefox for Mobile Devices last night from Dietrich Ayala, a developer for Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox for Mobile Devices is not your father’s Minimo (Mini Mozilla).

Ruby on Rails is a free web application framework designed to make web development faster, simpler and more efficient. The annual RailsConf starts this week. Here’s the latest.

According to J.D. Powers, smartphones have climbed from 1.7% to 6.3% in market share over the last year. Smartphone users spend an average of 4.6 hours per month browsing the mobile web in the US and nearly 2.5 hours per month in Britain, reports M:Metrics (which is being bought by ComScore).

Developers like the Android Community are waking up and discovering 3.3 Billion people — half the population on Earth — with phones. They now have an open conduit. It’s The Next Big Thing. Small.

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Clearwire supports EC decision on WiMAX mobility

2008-06-15T22:38:00.000+08:00

Clearwire Corporation today announced its applause and support for the European Commission, following its Decision last week to harmonise 3400 ~ 3800 MHz radio frequencies in Europe, which will pave the way to mobility in this spectrum band.

In Europe, Clearwire uses 3.5 GHz spectrum in a footprint that covers more than 200 million people in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Romania, and Spain.

Benjamin G. Wolff, chief executive officer of Clearwire, said the EC Decision “gives us and the investment community greater certainty and confidence with respect to the opportunity to deliver mobile ‘true broadband’ wireless services…. This is an essential milestone in Clearwire’s continuing efforts to deploy our mobile WiMAX networks across Europe.”

The EC Decision mandates that members of the European Community must make the 3.5 GHz frequency range available for fixed, nomadic and mobile electronic communications networks. Wolff added that “further harmonization will favor pan-European roaming amongst these frequencies.”

AT&T Beams Up HSUPA

2008-06-15T22:37:00.000+08:00

AT&T Mobility says it will deploy High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) in its currrent 3G network so users can enjoy uplink speeds between 500 and 800 Kbps.

According to AT&T, HSUPA will be available in all but the few remaining AT&T 3G markets and will be included in all future deployments. The new upload speeds complement AT&T’s 3G download capabilities, which currently offer up to 1.4 Mbps across all markets for customers who have capable devices, such as AT&T’s LaptopConnect wireless modems.

AT&T Video Share, which allows users to share live video over wireless phones while on a voice call, is one application that really shines with faster upstream speeds.

The Apple 3G iPhone will likely be announced on the 9th and released by AT&T on the 18th or 19th of June 2008. AT&T Video Share is sure to be a featured attraction.

“The ability to quickly upload large files from a laptop is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity,” said Kris Rinne, senior vice president of Architecture and Planning for AT&T’s wireless operations. “By fully deploying HSUPA across our 3G footprint, we not only meet the current needs of our customers but also lay the path for our continued evolution to even faster wireless broadband capabilities.”

HSUPA adds both the upstream capacity and low latency necessary to support applications like VoIP, videoconferencing and multiplayer gaming. Its CDMA counterpart, EV-DO Revision A, will be used by Sprint to extend its Direct Connect for push-to-talk.

AT&T says they will have invested more than $20 billion in network improvements and upgrades between 2005 and 2008. AT&T recently shut down its older TDMA network, allowing the company to reuse valuable 850 MHz spectrum to expand and enhance 3G markets.

AT&T plans to adopt LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology to reach even higher speeds in the long term.

Computerworld tested cellular modem options from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

3G Networks — Test Results

	AT&T	Sprint	Verizon
Peak download speed	1.6Mbit/sec.	1.2Mbit/sec.	1.3Mbit/sec.
Average download speed	755Kbit/sec.	494Kbit/sec.	592Kbit/sec.
Average upload speed	484Kbit/sec.	294Kbit/sec.	232Kbit/sec.
Connection time	3.0 seconds	3.7 seconds	5.6 seconds
Time to load Web page	.228 seconds	.224 seconds	.230 seconds
Battery life lowered by	40 minutes	1 hour	20 minutes

Without a two-year contract, AT&T’s top DataConnect plan costs $80/month, while Sprint’s average upload speed was 294Kbit/sec with Verizon turning in similar speeds. All the cellular carriers now have a 5 GB cap. Speed and reliability depend on a variety of conditions, such as how far you are from a cell tower, number of users connected in your vicinity, and how much data they’re moving.

GSMworld, Engadget and HSUPA.com lists devices that can utilize the upstream speed. AT&T’s LTE, the next evolutionary step for cellular providers, is like 2-3 years down the road.

One more thing.

If Apple wanted to offer a $399 Mobile WiMAX/WiFi device based on their phone-less iTouch, nobody could stop them. Will an Atom-based iTouch for Sprint/Clearwire customers be announced? It seems unlikely doesn’t it — but never say never. Later, maybe. Sprint’s Instinct will be available June 20.

Train Communications 2008

2008-06-15T22:36:00.001+08:00

Train Communications 2008 will be held in central London on the 11th and 12th of June 2008, and hosted by technology consultancy BWCS. Train companies from across the globe will discuss the latest developments in train communications systems (pdf brochure).

As Graham Wilde, CEO of BWCS, put it, “This year there has been an unprecedented number of new services and trials launched. From the West Coast of America, to India and Australia, we are seeing more interest than ever in these on-board WiFi systems.”

BWCS will host a series of presentations by the leading rail companies.

Among those presenting at Train Communications Systems 2008 will be: Virgin Trains, Capitol Corridors Joint Power Authority (US Train Operator), VIA Rail (Canada), Swiss Rail, NSB (Norwegian Rail), GNER, SNCF, SJ, Deutsche Bahn, Danish Rail, Nokia Siemens Networks, Lloyd’s Register Rail, NS Trains, Icomera, Moovera, Nomad Digital, Parsons Corporation, WiFi Rail and others.

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit is in talks with WiFi Rail to provide system-wide wi-fi service after a successful trial program. Phase three of the demonstration program was completed recently.

The Norwegian State Railway (NSB) project is said to be the first in the world to cover a national rail network with broadband data connectivity. Danish railway operator Arriva Scandinavia has deployed free Wi-Fi on 29 commuter trains. It will be paid for in part by advertising.

In related news:

The cost for transit vehicle Wi-Fi is relatively cheap, averaging somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 per bus to install, as well as a monthly access card fee of around $50 to $60, says the trade magazine, Metro Magazine.
Over the next few model years, drivers will be able to do things such as find a nearby gas station with the lowest price, pay bills, order movies and schedule hair appointments. But get set to have ads on board. Advertisers would pay for premier placement in the map listings that come up when a driver is searching for a nearby coffee shop or a pharmacy.
For a complete guide to where the airlines stand on mobile phone calls in-flight, click here.

France Telecom and TeliaSonera would create giant WiMAX operator

2008-06-15T22:35:00.003+08:00

France Telecom today announced its USD 46.4 billion bid for TeliaSonera. If successful, the merger would create the fourth largest global telecoms group, with operations in 30 countries.

It would also combine two of the largest Tier-1 WiMAX operators. Didier Lombard, France Telecom Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, recently said that WiMAX is a strategic component of the expansion plans for Orange, the mobile operation of France Telecom.

The company has deployed WiMAX in Russia, Africa and the Middle East, has acquired spectrum in Eastern Europe and several French territories, and is said to be seeking more WiMAX spectrum in other countries.

Likewise, TeliaSonera has deployed WiMAX networks in Norway, Sweden, Latvia and Estonia, and has been an active participant in consultations for upcoming spectrum auctions in other countries where it operates.

The board of directors at TeliaSonera immediately rejected the offer of France Telecom, and it is likely to be several weeks before the French company decides if it will increase its offer.

Nevertheless, as WiMAX becomes the technology of choice for mobile operators seeking profits in wireless broadband, such mega-mergers show that a handful of top mobile operators will dominate the eventual consolidation of the WiMAX market.

Tatung selects Alcatel-Lucent to supply WiMAX network

2008-06-15T22:35:00.001+08:00

Alcatel-Lucent announced that it has been selected by Tatung InfoComm to deploy a WiMAX network based on the IEEE 802.16e standard in Taiwan.

The commercial network is to be deployed in the 141 square kilometre region of Penghu County, also known as “The Pescadores,” which includes some 64 islands.

Tatung holds licences to deploy WiMAX in the southern region of Taiwan. According to the Alcatel-Lucent announcement, this initial deployment will focus on reducing the “digital divide” in Taiwan.

Alcatel-Lucent will supply Tatung with a comprehensive WiMAX infrastructure.

Camphone Compression & WiFi Mapping

2008-06-15T22:34:00.001+08:00

PixSense today announced the launch of their new location tagging feature, Media Map. It automatically captures the geographic location and the time that photos or video were taken by the subscriber’s cell phone.

The captured data is automatically integrated with an online interactive map. It is also added to the subscriber’s online gallery where it can be effortlessly categorized by date/time, location, or event. Subscribers can send an entire album based on a trip or specific timeframe to friends.

Location tagging is a one-click feature, with media saving, sharing, web posting and mobile community building. Photos and videos captured on a subscriber’s cell phone can be uploaded to the online media or social networking site of their choice. Subscribers are able to share any mobile media from cell phone to cell phone, cell phone to web or web to cell phone.

If an image stored on the site is too large to be seen on the phone, the company’s technology converts it to the proper viewing size. The phone images can be sent to a variety of sites, including one PixSense operates but also to blogs, MySpace, Facebook or even to CNN.

The photo on the left was originally 2.7 MB in size and was compressed 89%
using PixSense BioCompression technology to 240 KB with little quality loss.

At the core of PixSense’s PSP infrastructure is the patent-pending Bio-Compression technology that provides real-time, on-device media compression to reduce the media data size by up to 90 percent before transfer. PixSense technology is being demonstrated at the 2008 Qualcomm BREW Conference next week. Compression makes a lot of sense for cellphones. Handsets with 2+ Megapixel cameras often use plastic lenses with terrible quality. Wireless Week reviews ways to share your cellphone pictures.

Speaking of location information, Dash GPS, a stand-alone GPS product, also provides real-time traffic info. It uses Skyhook’s Wi-Fi Positioning System. Dash sells the device for $399 and charges $12.99 per month for the wireless service.

The Dash Express wirelessly connects using both cellular and Wi-Fi radios. For cellular, Dash uses a cellular network composed of multiple carriers, so its coverage range is larger than any single national carrier (see map). It uses Open Moko, the open source Linux platform that enables independent developers to create applications for the device. Taiwanese electronics maker Mio Technology is developing similar products.

According to Wirefly, the Top 10 hottest cell phones for travel this summer are:

BlackBerry Curve 8310 –AT&T (with GPS)
Palm Centro – Sprint (with GPS)
LG Vu CU920 – AT&T
T-Mobile Dash –T-Mobile
BlackBerry Pearl 8120 – T-Mobile
Motorola i880 – Nextel (with GPS)
LG Rumor – Sprint*
Motorola v3m RAZR – Verizon Wireless (with GPS)
LG Voyager VX10000 – Verizon Wireless (with GPS)
LG Scoop – Alltel (with GPS)

Gizmodo is reporting the much-anticipated 3G iPhone (with built-in GPS) will be launched on June 9 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Nokia is eyeing wider usage of Linux in cellphones, especially in their $455 N-810 WiMaX tablet (with built-in GPS).

Proxim APs Go High Security

2008-06-15T22:33:00.001+08:00

Proxim Wireless, today announced the Tsunami MP.11 HS (High Security) line of base station units, subscriber units and bridges. The new products provide FIPS 140-2 level 2 compliant point-to-point and point-to-multipoint products in the 5.1-5.95 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 1.8 GHz frequency bands.

The Tsunami MP.11 HS product family is Proxim’s ultra-secure broadband wireless solution for wireless video, data connectivity, VoIP and mobility, combining FIPS 140-2 level 2 compliance, advanced AES-256 encryption, and secure management to meet strict U.S. Federal Government standards.

Proxim’s integrated solution combines high security with the high throughput, required for bandwidth-intensive video, among other applications. It also enables mobile roaming with seamless handoffs at speeds of up to 120 mph (200 km/hour)

Originally designed for “a government client”, utilizing NATO’s 1.8 GHz frequency band (near cellular channels), Proxim decided to commercialize their FIPS 140-2 certified gear using more common frequencies for public service users. The MP.11 HS utilizes the mid 5 GHz band (with some 230 Mhz capacity), and the dedicated 4.9 Ghz public safety band (with some 50 MHz capacity) as well as the more common 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, standard is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. The cryptographic modules are produced by the private sector or open source communities for use by the U.S. government and other regulated industries (such as financial and health-care institutions) that collect, store, transfer, share and disseminate “sensitive, but un-classfied (SBU)” information.

Proxim says the Tsunami MP.11 HS series minimizes system latency with Proxim’s proven WORP (Wireless Outdoor Routing Protocol) and optimizes WiMAX Quality of Service (QoS)

The new Tsunami MP.11 HS product family includes two new subscriber units, two new base station units (one outdoor unit and one rack-mounted indoor unit), the Tsunami QuickBridge.11 HS bridge, a mobility kit and a 1.8GHz converter amplifier.

All MP.11 HS platforms are FIPS 140-2 level 2 compliant, and FIPS 140-2 level 2 certification is in process and is expected in the third quarter of 2008. The subscriber units and base station units each come in both ruggedized POE-enabled and traditional 12-volt DC powered models. Tsunami MP.11 HS products are available for order now.

WiMAX World EMEA

2008-06-15T22:31:00.001+08:00

WiMAX World Europe, May 19-21 (program), will feature 110+ Speakers, 30+ Operators representing 25 countries, and 150+ Sponsors and Exhibitors. It is the longest running, WiMAX and Wireless Broadband exhibition for the entire EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

Among the announcements:

The Asus Atom-based Eee PC 901 will NOT be available to consumers with Mobile WiMAX, reports Digitimes. Instead it will have Bluetooth and WiFi in addition to the new case design. The Eee-oriented WiMax module instead will go to service providers who will offer Eee PCs as part of or alongside their WiMax airtime packages - rather than individual buyers.
Nokia’s handheld N810 will be the first device designed to run on a new high-speed WiMax network by Sprint Nextel. The 4.13-inch touch screen device, similar to the first N810, which went on sale in the fall, will have both Mobile Wimax and WiFi.
SEQUANS Communications announced availability of its newest chip, the SQN1170, which integrates baseband, RF, and memory in a single chip. Sequans also announced that Mitsumi, leading system-in-package module maker, is the first to use the chip to develop an SDIO module comprising full Mobile WiMAX system functionality. The SD card module is the first of several modules Mitsumi is developing based on Sequans’ SQN1170. It is the sixth Mobile WiMAX chip Sequans has delivered, following a Mobile WiMAX Wave 1 chip in 2006, two baseband Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 chips in 2007 and two RF chips (2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz). The SQN1170 can be used to build all types of mobile devices–from mobile phones to embedded PC applications to SDIO modules for consumer electronics devices.
Chip designer Wavesat debuted today a new multicore DSP architecture capable of handling baseband processing for multiple broadband networks. The Odyssey 8500 can tackle WiMax Wave 2, 802.11bg and next-generation Personal Handyphone networks. The company will add support for Long Term Evolution cellular in its next generation. “We believe multimode is where the market will go,” said Vijay Dube, executive vice president of marketing at Wavesat (Dorval, Canada). “SK Telecom is one of our investors, and they see blanket 3G coverage with WiMax hot zones in Korea,” he added.
Intel on Monday announced a US$15.3 million investment in Green Packet, the parent company of Malaysian WiMax operator Packet One Networks. The operator will offer the mobile version of WiMax and use the 2.3GHz spectrum.
Covad says it will begin rolling out a fixed WiMAX wireless broadband offering this year, with a promise of offering data speeds of 6 Mbs. Covad says its decision to offer the service followed a lab test and field trial in San Francisco. Now the carrier will install WiMAX equipment at existing base station locations in the Bay area as well as in Los Angeles and Orange County. In February, Covad agreed to test a WiFi network in San Carlos, Calif., as part of the struggling Silicon Valley Network, that ambitious WiFi initiative that aims to blanket 1,500 sq. miles with WiFi.
Tranzeo Wireless introduced a new low cost, turn-key 5.8GHz WiMAX pico-base station. Like its 3.5GHz pico-base station, the TR-WMX-5.8-pBS is designed for broadband service providers seeking to cost effectively accommodate the unique requirements of rural and enterprise customers. Combined with Tranzeo’s existing family of 5.8GHz WiMAX subscriber units and Proximetry’s network management software, it is said to provide a comprehensive, flexible and turn-key last-mile solution.

AT&T: We Like HSPA

2008-06-15T22:29:00.001+08:00

AT&T said Wednesday it plans to boost the speed of its 3G wireless network to speeds of 20 megabits per second in 2009, extending the lifetime of 3G.

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley’s annual Communications Conference, the company’s mobility chief Ralph de la Vega said engineers already have a version of AT&T’s HSPA 3G network up and running in the labs at speeds of 7.2 megabits per second.

AT&T plans to transition to HSPA release 7 sometime in 2009. He said the upgrade will require few if any hardware modifications to the company’s infrastructure and achieved largely through a software upgrade to its electronics.

De la Vega also said that his firm has “a clear and logical path” to 700MHz 4G access via the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard in the 2010 timeframe which should again increase speeds fivefold “to nearly 100 megabits per second”.

“LTE will allow for backwards compatibility to GSM and HSPA, which is a great benefit to customers. And our path forward to LTE allows us to get there step-by-step, with interim steps that will deliver more and more speeds everyday.”

Of course LTE is not yet a standard. Mobile WiMAX is. The 100 Mbps version (802.16m) will be backware compatible with the existing devices. LTE will require new phones and new basestations. New everything, essentially.

Currently, AT&T’s USB data card costs $99 and $60/month for unlimited usage, Sprint’s USB EVDO modem costs $99, plus $60 a month and Verizon charges $149 for their USB modem and $60-per-month — but only for 5Gb per month. Beyond that, it charges a stunning 49 cents per Mb. Speeds using cellular-based EVDO Rev A and HSPA rarely get beyond 1 Mbps.

Clearwire CTO John Saw says backhaul of WiMAX networks require 30-60 Mbps per site with blanket coverage of the entire 700 sq mile Portland region requiring WiMAX nodes installed on some 80 cell sites. Nortel is supplying VoIP infrastructure and services for Clearwire using their Application Server 5200 to deliver SIP applications.

Tony Melone, CTO of Verizon Wireless told Dan Jones of Unstrung [with a straight face] that they’ll begin deploying LTE in 2009 (video).

WiMAX will enable mobile Web 2.0

2008-06-15T22:26:00.000+08:00

At the Computex technology trade show yesterday, Intel executive Sean Maloney said that “the convergence of mobile computers, WiMAX wireless broadband, and powerful, HD-rich computer technologies point to a tremendous growth opportunity.”

Maloney unveiled new versions of Intel chipsets that will will bring the Internet to new users. “People have an innate desire to be ‘connected’ all the time and see personalized, mobile technology as the way to meet that need,” Maloney said.

Speed will be one of the key requirements for future mobile technology to deliver the capabilities of Web 2.0, and Maloney said that “Mobile WiMAX is the right solution and it’s happening now.”

In July, Intel is set to introduce processors and chipsets for high-performance laptops with its Intel Centrino 2 (formerly codenamed Montevina) processor technology. An integrated WiMAX/WiFi solution (codenamed Echo Peak) will be available as an option for some Centrino 2 notebook PCs later this year in America.

Enforta expansion covers 55 million people

2008-06-15T22:25:00.000+08:00

The Russian WiMAX operator Enforta announced today that it has expanded its network to cover another 22 cities in Russia. These cities begin operation this month, and the company said that another ten cities will be added to its network by Q408. The rapid expansion of Enforta’s network continues with the use of equipment from Alvarion.

Google, Cable in $12B WiMAX Deal?

2008-06-15T22:24:00.000+08:00

Sprint, Comcast, Google, Time Warner and Intel will launch a Mobile WiMAX Joint Venture, says the Wall Street Journal. More from NY Times, GigaOm, ArsTechnica and Blogrunnner.

As early as Wednesday, an unlikely alliance of titans from the cable, Internet and chip industries will disclose they are investing $3.2 billion in a company that will deliver Web access for cellphones and laptops at speeds much faster than what is available today using a technology called WiMax.

Analysts say the venture, valued at more than $12 billion, will have a two year head-start on rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., which are just beginning to sketch out plans for their next-generation wireless networks.

The deal gives the cable operators and Google prominent roles in shaping the future of mobile Internet access. The venture must still be approved by federal regulators.

The deal is most of all a coup for Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who four months ago was charged with rescuing Sprint from near-disaster.

“It’s sort of like, ‘Dan, you haven’t vacuumed the bedroom,”‘ Mr. Hesse said. “Well, that’s because the house is on fire. I will get around to it later.”

Last January, Mr. Hesse called Comcast Chief Executive Brian L. Roberts to explore a deal. Mr. Roberts was receptive, partly because he thought the new Sprint CEO might be easier to work with, and partly because he was beginning to see WiMax as an opportunity to confront his own strategic dilemma.

In early February, Mr. Roberts took a trip out to Portland, Ore., to test Clearwire’s nascent WiMax service there and meet with Mr. McCaw. He came away impressed with the technology, say people familiar with the meeting.

Mr. Hesse leaned on Mr. Roberts to round up other cable operators, including Time Warner Cable and a regional provider, Bright House. The cable executives raised several concerns, people familiar with the meeting say. The most pressing issue: They wanted to make sure the new company would be able to use Sprint’s existing “third generation” broadband network until the WiMax network is nationwide, which could take a few years.

Reeling in Google proved especially difficult. Google CEO Eric Schmidt wouldn’t return Mr. Hesse’s phone calls. Mr. Roberts, who had developed a close relationship with the Google CEO, stepped in. He made a pitch on Mr. Hesse’s behalf, then connected the two via email to get a discussion going, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Hesse promised to make Google the preferred software developer on the WiMax network, meaning its search service would be the default on new mobile devices.

At times, the sessions got heated. At one meeting in the New York offices of law firm Kirkland & Ellis, Clearwire Chief Executive Ben Wolff was so frustrated with the lack of progress that he pulled his team from the room, shouting “That’s it, the deal’s off,” according to a person at the meeting.

By mid-March, the outlines of a deal were in place, though it would take two more months to iron out details. The new company secured $1.05 billion from Comcast, $1 billion from Intel, $500 million from Google, $550 million from Time Warner and $100 million from Bright House.

Sprint will hold a majority stake in the new venture. Mr. Hesse agreed to give up day-to-day control to Clearwire’s Mr. Wolff, who is slated to be CEO. Mr. McCaw is expected to be named chairman. The new company will take on Clearwire’s name.

Not mentioned was the mobile tv component. Perhaps Craig McCaw’s ICO G-1 will be drafted for DVB-SH. When ICO’s mobile TV service goes live in 2009, it will focus on in-vehicle displays with larger screen resolution and 10 to 15 channels at 500 kb/s channel, plus two-way capabilities for vehicle navigation and emergency two-way calling and messaging.

But if Sprint spins off WiMAX, sells Nextel and DT buys Sprint, what would be left?

And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?…Am I wrong?

Into the blue again/after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

It’s Official: Sprint, Cable & Google Building WiMAX Network

2008-06-15T22:18:00.000+08:00

The deal (pdf), announced on Wednesday, will provide funding for Sprint and Clearwire to build the network and allow cable providers to offer wireless services to help them compete with rivals AT&T and Verizon. It will use Sprint’s existing broadcast wireless towers and its wired fiber network. Sprint spends some 30% of its $20 billion annual wireless operating costs on backhaul.

Clearwire will be the only company allowed to sell 4G access as a standalone service, according to Sprint CTO Berry West. Sprint will essentially access the network as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), selling combined 3G and 4G access plans. Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff told the Seattle Times that, ultimately, the company could “get to 20,000 or 30,000 employees” nationally. Clearwire has about 2,000 employees now, including 350 to 400 at its Kirkland headquarters. Sprint has about 700 in its WiMax unit, including a research and development group in Herndon, Va.

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Sprint, which had earlier said they’d spend some $5 billion by 2010 building their WiMAX network across the United States, will now own about 51 percent of the new company. Sprint’s new partners will invest some $3 billion. Clearwire will own about 27 percent. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Google and Bright House will get a combined 22 percent.

Google will embed its Android operating system for mobile phones. Google will also be the search provider for the company’s WiMax services.

Intel will work with manufacturers to embed WiMax chips into its Centrino 2 processor for laptops and mobile Internet devices and will market the new company’s service in association with its own brand.

The partners have put the value of the deal at $12 billion, a figure that includes radio spectrum and equipment provided by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, and $3.2 billion from the others involved.

The investments by other participants include $1.05 billion from Comcast, $1 billion from Intel, $550 million from Time Warner Cable, $100 million from Bright House, a cable provider, and $500 million from Google. Trilogy Equity Partners, intends to invest $10 million, according to a person briefed on the arrangement.

Analysis by Juniper Research indicates up to 12% of the global DSL installed base will be substituted by WiMAX by 2013. The Far East will lead with over one fifth of the 47 million subscribers in 2013.

It’s Official: Sprint, Cable & Google Building WiMAX Network

2008-06-15T21:18:00.002+08:00

It’s official. Sprint and Clearwire announced this morning they will form a nation-wide WiMAX network, with partners Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Google and cable operator Bright House Networks who are expected to kick in $3.2 billion to help finance the venture.

The deal (pdf), announced on Wednesday, will provide funding for Sprint and Clearwire to build the network and allow cable providers to offer wireless services to help them compete with rivals AT&T and Verizon. It will use Sprint’s existing broadcast wireless towers and its wired fiber network. Sprint spends some 30% of its $20 billion annual wireless operating costs on backhaul.

Clearwire will be the only company allowed to sell 4G access as a standalone service, according to Sprint CTO Berry West. Sprint will essentially access the network as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), selling combined 3G and 4G access plans. Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff told the Seattle Times that, ultimately, the company could “get to 20,000 or 30,000 employees” nationally. Clearwire has about 2,000 employees now, including 350 to 400 at its Kirkland headquarters. Sprint has about 700 in its WiMax unit, including a research and development group in Herndon, Va.
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Sprint, which had earlier said they’d spend some $5 billion by 2010 building their WiMAX network across the United States, will now own about 51 percent of the new company. Sprint’s new partners will invest some $3 billion. Clearwire will own about 27 percent. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Google and Bright House will get a combined 22 percent.
Google will embed its Android operating system for mobile phones. Google will also be the search provider for the company’s WiMax services.

Intel will work with manufacturers to embed WiMax chips into its Centrino 2 processor for laptops and mobile Internet devices and will market the new company’s service in association with its own brand.

The partners have put the value of the deal at $12 billion, a figure that includes radio spectrum and equipment provided by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, and $3.2 billion from the others involved.
The investments by other participants include $1.05 billion from Comcast, $1 billion from Intel, $550 million from Time Warner Cable, $100 million from Bright House, a cable provider, and $500 million from Google. Trilogy Equity Partners, intends to invest $10 million, according to a person briefed on the arrangement.

Analysis by Juniper Research indicates up to 12% of the global DSL installed base will be substituted by WiMAX by 2013. The Far East will lead with over one fifth of the 47 million subscribers in 2013.

Intel: $500M for M-Taiwan

2008-05-05T16:13:00.001+08:00

Intel will invest some $500 million in Taiwan’s nationwide WiMax effort, the company announced Monday.

The M-Taiwan program is aimed at covering the island country with Mobile WiMax. While companies from around the world are contributing to Taiwan’s WiMax effort, Taiwan is hoping foreign countries will base much of their manufacturing in Taiwan.

The Taiwan government and a group of high tech countries said last fall they will invest $664 million in WiMax deployments. The M-Taiwan Program is expected:

To improve Taiwan’s penetration rate of mobile internet from the 20th to 5th in the world ranking.
To become one of the top 10 countries with the lowest online access fee in the world.

In reporting its $500 million Taiwan investment, Lil Mohan, managing director of Intel’s WiMax program, said the $500 million will be invested over the next five years. “This investment is largely for WiMax,” Mohan told the Reuters news service. “Japan will probably launch the first (in Asia) since they have already invested lots of money.”

Previously, other firms committed to working on its WiMax program included Alvarion, Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Nokia, Sprint and Starent Networks.

Intel has said 2008 will be the year when WiMax begins to make a major impact. Intel expects to see mobile WiMAX developments later this year in Russia, Japan, and the US, according to the spokesperson.

Earlier this month, Intel announced the creation of a new $500 million China Technology Fund to follow its earlier $200 million fund that invested in China.

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Qualcomm shows off MediaFLO Mobile TV

2008-05-05T16:12:00.001+08:00

Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, today unveiled the first-ever MediaFLO™ technology demonstration broadcast over the air to an in-vehicle entertainment system. The innovative mobile TV demonstration shows the flexibility of the MediaFLO platform as well as the exciting and unique delivery methods it can enable in a wide variety of scenarios.

The in-vehicle demonstration features a sport-utility vehicle outfitted with two rear headrest television screens with VGA resolution. The MediaFLO receiver, integrated in the rear center console, will receive live streaming television broadcasts on the MediaFLO platform at QVGA resolution. The center console controllerallows users to launch the electronic channel guide, change channels and access optional features of the MediaFLO System.

The MediaFLO in-vehicle demonstration can be seen at the MediaFLO booth (Central Hall, #C2946) at the National Associated of Broadcasters (NAB) show, April 14 - 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MediaFLO enables a rich mobile multimedia experience comprising high-quality video, audio, data and interactiveservices. Since the MediaFLO platform employs a dedicated mobile broadcast network, it does not require direct line-of-sight, unlike satellite-based TV transmissions, and video quality and signal strength won’t be compromised in crowded metropolitan areas. Furthermore, the platform has been designed for superior mobile reception and can operate efficiently under normal driving conditions on roads and freeways.

MediaFLO is a mobile broadcast platform for the delivery of high-quality entertainment and information, including streaming video and audio, Clipcasting™ media, IP datacasting and interactive services. FLO™ is an open, globally recognized air interface technology standardized by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and recommended by ITU-R for the broadcasting of multimedia and data applications. Invented for mobility, MediaFLO is designed to increase capacity and coverage, as well as reduce costs for multimedia content delivery to mobile devices. More information about MediaFLO is available at www.mediaflo.com.

See Also:

Qualcomm files $240 million loss on MediaFLO
Qualcomm announces Taiwan MediaFLO trial

Towerstream Switches to Alvarion 3.65 GHz

2008-05-05T16:11:00.000+08:00

Alvarion today announced commercial availability and FCC authorization for its 802.16e BreezeMAX 3650 base station and customer premises equipment.

“BreezeMAX 3650 leverages the same mature and field-proven Alvarion 802.16e Open WiMAX technology chosen by many operators around the world,” said Adlane Fellah, Senior Analyst and Founder of Maravedis.

The BreezeMAX 3650 supports self-install CPE, with advanced antenna technologies, including MIMO, maximizing capacity and coverage.

Metro WISP Towerstream has completed a trial using Alvarion 3.65 GHz WiMAX gear, and is planning a major market rollout reports Telephony Magazine.

Towerstream plans to use Alvarion 3.65 GHz gear going forward in all new deployments.

Towerstream’s new 3.65 GHz gear requires all operators to register their equipment in the markets they deploy in. While competitors may use the same spectrum, they must to do it in coordination with one another, creating an unlicensed band with some protections to its users.

While Towerstream’s Mobile WiMAX supports mobility, it’s unlikely they will offer a mobile service said CEO Jeff Thompson. Thompson said Towerstream trialed Redline fixed WiMAX gear in Boston, but wasn’t satisfied with its performance.

Unlike licensed spectrum, 3.65 GHz is shared by multiple providers. While managing point-to-multipoint links without interfering with neighbors is feasible, crisscrossing mobile signals would not, said Ashish Sharma, vice president of corporate development for Sprint.

Several vendors aside from Alvarion have optimized their licensed 3.5 GHz WiMAX kits for the U.S. band with little additional development costs.

3GPP Release 8 Features

2008-05-05T16:10:00.000+08:00

Many people are surprised to hear that the Rel-8 of 3GPP is much more than just LTE/SAE. Here is a list of features:

WiMAX Roundup, Australia Unwired

2008-05-05T16:09:00.001+08:00

Australia’s 20 biggest cities could be covered by a A$500 million ($467 million U.S.) commercial-grade mobile WiMax network within two years, reports Computer World.

Joe Nardone, Intel’s global general manager of WiMax business development, told Computerworld that pre-WiMAX operator Unwired has mapped out plans for a national mobile WiMax network. Intel is an investor in Unwired.

Unwired will move to Mobile WiMax, so mobility will be inherent, unlike their current Navini-based system.

A Sydney broadband wireless competitor, Personal Broadband, uses Arraycomm’s iBurst, another pre-WiMAX technology. iBurst optimizes the use of its bandwidth with the help of smart antennas for beam forming. Kyocera is the leading manufacturer of iBurst devices.

Seven Networks, an Australian television network, has purchased Unwired, the Navini (now Cisco) based network for $127 million.

Their WiMax network will help the Seven deliver broadband, voice over Internet Protocol and even television throughout Australia.

Computer World reports that telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said the Seven Network’s plan will result in a failed overbuild of technology. “I have looked at this from 15,000 angles and the idea simply can’t work,” Budde said.

The mobile WiMax network will not be able to compete with Telstra’s established cellular network, according to Budde. Telstra, formerly a state-owned company, is Australia’s largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services, mobile services, dialup, wireless, DSL and cable internet access.

Unwired will have a tough time recouping ROI as competition from Optus and Vodafone Group PLC’s 3G networks drives down access prices, Budde said.

Last month the Australian government canceled a A$958 million ($871 million) funding agreement with SingTel and Futuris for an broadband wireless network, claiming noncompliance with the original agreement.

Optus Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecom, and Futuris, its venture partner in OPEL Networks, was originally awarded the project.

The funding was rescinded because the project would cover only 72 percent of the required region, instead of the 90 percent outlined in the contract, the Department of Broadband Communications and Digital Economy said in a statement. The OPEL access network, which was to be wholesaled to other telcos and Internet service providers, will now not be built,” the Optus statement said.

Optus, Australia’s 2nd largest communication company, has brought competition to Australia’s Telstra since the late 1980s.

Telstra claims that Optus WiMAX wrong-headedly duplicates Telstra’s 3G network with an incompatible WiMAX network and is unfairly subsidized by taxpayers. Optus says it provides competition and services that monopolist Telstra doesn’t.

In other WiMAX news — and there’s a lot of it . . .

Ofcom will auction the frequencies in the summer of 2008. Ofcom has allocated a certain amount of licensed spectrum for time division duplex (TDD), or unpaired spectrum, and a certain amount FDD, or paired spectrum. Analysts and WiMax players expect the U.K.’s mobile operators to buy up the TDD spectrum to keep out new Mobile WiMax competitors.

The 2.5 GHz spectrum profile is considered to be the “sweet spot” for many of the world’s initial deployments for mobile WiMAX, including Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

In the last two months of 2007, New Zealand, Japan and Noraway held sold licenses in the 2.3 – 2.7 Ghz range. Norway raised US$ 42 million with licenses to five companies, Sweden sold licenses in the 3.6 – 3.8 Ghz frequency range to 44 companies and raised US$ 703,000. More details can also be found at www.ClearSpectrum.Net.

Clearwire has the largest number of [pre-WiMAX] subscribers, numbering about 394,000 as of the fourth quarter of 2007. Korea Telecom and Unwired Australia have the next biggest numbers, with about 100,000 and 76,000 subscribers respectively.

Alcatel-Lucent is participating in more than 70 trials and deployments of WiMax technology around the worldx, from Brazil to Malaysia to the Netherlands, said Michael Seymour, vice president of Alcatel-Lucent’s North American broadband wireless unit at the Wireless Communications Association held in Washington DC this week.

Rick Svensson, director of sales for Samsung’s WiMax unit, said his company is “very anxious” to show off the technology in 2008. It plans to release a WiMax-enabled version of its Q1 ultramobile PC later this year and to offer support for Sprint Nextel’s planned launch of its Xohm WiMax network sometime in 2008.

Clearwire completed the first phase of Mobile WiMAX testing, involving 15 square miles in Washington County just west of Portland, in April, 2007. Then it focused on a beta network covering 145 square miles, most of Washington County.

When Clearwire’s Mobile WiMAX service launches in the summer of 2008, it should cover some 700 square miles, incorporating 3-4 ajoining counties (above).

Barry West, the CTO of Sprint’s Xohm business took the WiMAX critics head-on at the WCA, particularly companies that have adopted LTE as their next-generation technology. Noting that LTE services are years away, West accused the LTE camp of “not having anything to offer”, which is why “they’re trashing the system that’s out there working.” West also noted that WiMAX has “19 companies offering chipsets, 28 companies offering devices, and 29 companies offering infrastructure.” Whether Sprint and Clearwire will team with the nation’s two largest cable providers — Comcast and Time Warner Cable — remains to be seen. Pivot didn’t do so well.

Tony Melone, CTO of Verizon Wireless told Dan Jones of Unstrung [with a straight face] that they’ll begin deploying LTE in 2009 (video).

Perhaps the biggest hang-up for Mobile WiMAX is getting different base stations and subscriber devices to talk to each other. Roaming devices that aren’t certified by the WiMAX Forum won’t cut it — and certification of the first 2.5 GHz Mobile clients may just days away.

Only then can a United States rollout begin in earnest.

One of the first mobile WiMAX devices will be a Nokia N810 WIMAX Tablet for $455 at Buy.com.

Affordable Spectrum Analyzer

2008-05-05T16:07:00.000+08:00

WiFi Planet reviews the $399 Wi-Spy 2.4x, an inexpensive spectrum analyzer that can check on common interference from devices like cordless phones, microwaves, and other WiFi and Bluetooth devices.

The Wi-Spy 2.4x from Metageek consists of both a hardware and a software component. A USB dongle — no bigger than a Flash memory drive -— has an RP-SMA antenna connector (with an included, small omnidirectional antenna).

To record and display the data collected by the Wi-Spy 2.4x, you get Chanalyzer 3.0, an analysis utility that runs on Windows 2000 through Vista and requires the Microsoft .NET 2.0.

Chanalyzer only works with Windows, but third-party utilities compatible with Mac OS X and Linux are available for download from the MetaGeek Web site.

Wi-Spy 2.4x’s $399 may seem dear, but its price tag is but a fraction of the cost of most spectrum analyzer products (like those from AirMagnet, among others).

What you get with the higher-end products, but not with the Wi-Spy 2.4x, is the ability to do things like analyze the contents of Wi-Fi traffic and check security configurations. By contrast, the Wi-Spy 2.4x only concerns itself with the physical signals, but that’s all most non-enterprise and small network users are likely to need.

It’s also worth noting that the Wi-Spy 2.4x is a follow up to–but not a replacement for–MetaGeek’s original Wi-Spy product ($199). The newer 2.4x version improves upon its predecessor by providing higher frequency and amplitude resolution than the original, the RP-SMA connector that allows the use of a variety of external antennas (compared to v1’s fixed internal antenna), and a more recent and capable version of Chanalyzer .

Finally Wi-Spy 2.4x can only analyze the 2.4 GHz wireless spectrum, not the 5 GHz band used by 802.11a and dual-band 802.11n devices. This shouldn’t be an issue for most considering that the latter is much less frequently used and is less subject to interference, but MetaGeek says it plans to release a 5 GHz-compatible version of the Wi-Spy in May.

Berkeley Varitronics makes the popular Yellowjacket handheld analyzer (pdf), which handles 802.11 - B/A/N/G - and will demodulate, sweep, and analyze all popular 802.11 Wi-Fi network standards including 802.11b/g (2.4 GHz), 802.11a (5 GHz), 802.11n and 802.11h. Earlier Yellow Jacket models cost around $6,500 (but of course they do a lot more than a $400 unit from Wi-Spy).

It runs Hive Indoor Mapping Software which allows the users to create , modify and plot measurements in real-time all on a PocketPC.

AirDefense Enterprise 7.3 is the first enterprise product that does not require specialized hardware to detect and analyze non-802.11 sources of interference reports E-Week. AirDefense works with the standard Wi-Fi sensors can access this functionality on existing equipment with a software update alone.

AirDefense sells an Enterprise starter kit with pricing beginning at $7.995, which includes one appliance (for centralized data collection, sensor management, policy management and reporting) and five sensors (both the M510 sensor with two integrated antennas and the M520 sensor with a pair of external antennas can do spectrum analysis). Each additional sensor is $995, while the SA module costs $195 per sensor.

Forum Oxford Conference 2008

2008-05-05T16:06:00.001+08:00

A lot of leading mobile industry visionaries and enthusiasts met under the banner of "Forum Oxford Conference 2008". Lots of ideas were generated and discussed. I was fortunate to attend this event for the second year running. For those who may not know, I started this blog after attending this event last year. I was a bit surprised to see far less attendance then last year even though the fees were peanuts compared to many other conferences. Maybe people dont realise the value of these kinds of events.

Here is summary of some presentations which is in my own words and that of other bloggers and people who have posted on this topic. You may want to read more on these here.

The first topic was - "Pictures are better on Radio" by Mark Selby, Vice President, Industry Collaborations, Nokia

A survey of what people use their mobiles threw some interesting results:

Voice - 12%
Browsing - 8%
Games - 4%
Messaging - 37%

It is interesting to realise that mobile usage for voice is decreasing.

Mobiles can be used for 4 reasons:

Create
Consume
Interact
Connect

The BBC has 200 journalists trained to use high end 3G cameraphones as personal broadcast-trucks-in-the-pocket. Radio is a social media ie where PC users might use the internet as a chat board, radio listeners can send in their comments via SMS and DJ's can comment on them, recognize new listeners who have not commented yet, etc.

How many people control their own wife/partner?
We don’t think of it in that way because it is a relationship. In the same way, we as an industry cannot hope to ever ‘control’ a customer

Back in the 70s, Convergence was a set of three arrows pointing to a yellow cloud (IT, Media and Telecoms) and everyone expected to ‘solve’ the problem in a matter of months

DRM is an odd concept. If you threw a device into a window, can you blame the manufacturer for the damage to the window? If not, how can we hope to legislate against devices?

OVI is an open platform customers can choose which feeds they can display on OVI(for instance CNN etc etc) – not necessarily from Nokia. Abolish the word user generated content!!

By 2012, 25% of stuff will be created, edited, etc by Mobile devices.

You can get an idea of Mark's presentation by checking out this and this.

The next presentation was Jonathan MacDonald on Blyk:

The biggest problem Blyk users complain about, is that they want more of the ads.
They have already 100,000 users.
To learn more about Blyk see this and this.

The next was "Browser extensions (DOM extensions) and accesssing device API's" - David Pollington, Vodafone:

You can download this presentation with comments on Mobile Monday site here.

The next one was "How to Integrate Facebook with IMS" by Niklas Blum, Fraunhofer FOKUS:

This was a very interesting presentation and there were some strong statements made like CS will dissaper and SIP centered platforms will be everywhere. The market will become open services centred and the result will be convergence.

A similar presentation to this one is available here.

The next one was "iPhone Applications" by William Volk, MyNuMo:

Apple created a new ecosystem. That’s the key difference. So should others(hear hear!)

The main thing people like iPhone is because it has browser that works.

The developers like iPhone because it has this discovery mechanism by which new applications and games get detected. Advertised sponsered games generate 11% click thru. Bowling Game (non advertised) generated 2.95% click thru.

Next was "Youth and Mobile and Music and TV" by Luciana Pavan, MTV:

Comments from their youth survey included "mobile is the symbol of coolness" and "mobile is my best friend". They have two camera crews shooting MTV content such as Jackass, one group shooting for the TV screen, the second for mobile. Same content, two approaches to producing, optimized for each screen type. (Clever...).
Flux on MyMTV in Japan - best user-generated videos will end up on broadcast MTV Japan.
MTV MVNO in Belgium has 16% of the subscriber base.
And at MTV Germany the FunkySexyCool mobile dating service had similarities to Flirtomatic.

Next was "Delivering Global Mobile Service" by Cameron Doherthy, Mobile Concierge:
There was some interesting demonstration of how Blackberry can be used for lots of services like booking airline tickets and golf games.

Then Alan Moore on belaf of Xtract spoke on "Social Marketing Intelligence, the Black Gold of the 21st Century":

Lines are made by man! Nature has networksCustomers connect, corporations broadcast!

His main focus was operators who have become more like bitpipes whereas if they are clever they can use this data and exploit it for their own benefit. Their product can help them with a lot of this analysis. You can get a gist of his presentation here.

Then there was this debate between Tomi Ahonen and Dean Bubley about "Will the future of internet be shaped by mobile or is the PC still in control".

Even though the conclusion was that the PC is still in control, personally i feel mobile will be the one that will dominate. See my earlier post here.

Simon Cavill from Mi-Pay spoke on "Mobile Initiated Financial Services in the Developing world":

This was the mind-boggling presentation. Not that they can move money on mobile, and that it can be done cross-borders, but that international transfer of airtime is emerging as a monetary instrument. Not only "printing money" but as Simon said, they are now creating a whole new currency. Simon also pointed out that where mobile phones are aspirational in the West, they are much more so in the developing world. A phone is the most desired item in Africa. Airtime could be the euro of the developing world!

Then we had "Mobile Social Networking" by Antonio Vince Stabyl of itsMY:

Do we ‘Caralize’ airlines? I.e. develop a new format based on an earlier format?Doctors and other demographics who have never heard of online social networks, are directly adopting mobile social networks. 4 seconds after an earthquake – they had the first images. That’s the power of mobile!New mediums have new leaders

Finally Christian Lindholm of Fjord spoke on "Dawn of New Mobility. Thoughts on the future of Mobiles, Services and Their Adoption"

Key design principles ..
How much can you do with one hand?
What’s the largest device that can fit inside a pocket
A ‘PC’ is a swear word in Nokia!

You may also be interested in a related presentation here.

To subscribe to Forum Oxford click here.

Mobile WiMAX Cooking- But Still in the Kitchen

2008-05-05T16:03:00.000+08:00

It’s impossible to predict the fate of Xohm, says Popular Mechanics. But it’s happening — for better or worse. WiMAX, at least in its fixed iteration, is a done deal.

Alvarion boasts over 200 commercial WiMAX deployments worldwide. Alcatel-Lucent is participating in more than 70 trials and deployments of WiMax technology around the world while Intel has sunk literally billions in the technology and infrastructure.

The 2.5 GHz spectrum profile is considered to be the “sweet spot” for many of the world’s initial deployments for mobile WiMAX, including Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

The deployments in 110 different countries, from India and China to Chile and Argentina, have some significant differences from Sprint’s proposed network, but could still offer an interesting peek at what the United States may be in for—and what further missteps to avoid.

In India, for example, Tata Communications has begun rolling out a WiMAX service for consumers and businesses as a fixed wireless solution. India’s Tata is aiming for between 200,000 and 500,000 WiMAX subscribers by March of next year.

Some early WiMAX launches have not met expectations. In Australia, Buzz Broadband made headlines in the geekosphere when it pulled the plug on its WiMAX initiative, which was aimed at providing VoIP phone service.

Sprint’s Xohm service is currently in “soft launch” mode in Chicago and the Baltimore-Washington area, according to Sprint spokesman John Polivka. The full launch, however, has already been pushed back from this spring to “later this year” because of a lack of back-haul capacity.

Sprint believes it has a two-year head start on LTE, and rumors abound that one of the losers in the government’s 700-MHz auction, Google, is considering an investment in Sprint’s WiMAX service. It could be an ideal play to match Google’s open mobile phone platform, Android.

Also rumored to be interested in ponying up as much as $2.5 billion for a nationwide WiMAX network are cable companies Comcast and Time Warner, which are looking for new ways to reach mobile subscribers. And after what Verizon and AT&T have already spent, that size of an investment may seem like a bargain. Only time will tell.

Clearwire and Sprint still haven’t resurrected their now-defunct plan for a collaborative nationwide mobile WiMAX buildout, but the two companies have aligned on common network architecture, says RCR Wireless News. Clearwire completed the first phase of Mobile WiMAX testing, involving 15 square miles in Washington County just west of Portland, in April, 2007. Then it focused on a beta network covering 145 square miles, most of Washington County. Clearwire is using Motorola base stations.

When Clearwire’s Mobile WiMAX service launches in the summer of 2008, it should cover some 700 square miles, incorporating 3-4 ajoining counties (above). Clearwire CTO John Saw says backhaul of WiMAX networks require 30-60 Mbps per site with blanket coverage of the entire 700 sq mile Portland region requiring WiMAX nodes installed on some 80 cell sites.

One of the first mobile WiMAX devices will be a Nokia N810 WIMAX Tablet for $455 at Buy.com.

More on LTE-Advanced

2008-05-05T16:02:00.001+08:00

LTE-Advanced should be real broadband wireless networks that provide equal or greater peak data rates than those for wired networks, i.e., FTTH (Fiber To The Home), while maintaining equivalent QoS. Smooth introduction of LTE-Advanced should be possible on top of LTE system.

High-level requirements
•Reduced network cost (cost per bit)
•Better service provisioning
•Compatibility with 3GPP systems

Spectrum

WRC 07 identified the following new bands for use by IMT/IMT-Advanced:

450−470 MHz band,
698−862 MHz band,
790−862 MHz band,
2.3−2.4 GHz band, and
3.4−3.6 GHz band.

Not all of these bands are available on a worldwide basis. These bands are in addition to the bands currently specified in 3GPP. Specification for C-band should not be restricted to 3.4 – 3.6 GHz, but cover 3.4 to 3.8 and even 3.4 to 4.2 GHz as these will likely become available in some countries.

Channel Bandwidth

Channel bandwidths up to 100 MHz to be specified
However, for many operators consecutive allocation of 100 MHz unlikely
optimised performance needed for smaller bandwidths of e.g. 50 MHz low cost/complexity (i.e. not fully flexible) resource aggregation to be considered

Interworking with legacy 3GPP RAT

Full low complexity (for NW and terminal) interworking with 3GPP RAT, so operator de facto has flexibility on technology to deploy, when and where. The networks of most operators will be a combination of multiple 3GPP RAT for many years to come.
Network Sharing: Support for at least all currently specified Network Sharing features, also to facilitate cost-efficient roll out of LTE-Advanced, including, but not limited to, rural area coverage.

Working Methods

As LTE-Advanced should be an evolution of LTE, it is essential that it is specified as part of the 36-series of specifications.
It is also essential work is performed to a large degree by the experts that developed LTE, and thus work ideally should be performed in existing Working Groups.
LTE-Advanced will likely constitute the next significant development step for LTE, but (smaller) stand-alone enhancements and additions to LTE should be possible, and progressed in parallel.
Some of these smaller enhancements, as well as the “corrections” to LTE Release 8 could/should be captured in Rel.9, where SAE considerations will lead to relatively short Release completion time-frame.

More details on LTE-Advanced workshop in China here.

HSPA+ in Release-7 and Release-8

2008-05-05T16:00:00.002+08:00

Thought of adding this while I am in mode of making lists. So whats in HSPA evolution in Rel-7 and Rel-8. Lot of people are unaware that HSPA+ was big enough to finish off in Rel-7 and was definite to spill over in Rel-8

HSPA+ Features in Release 7

Higher Order Modulation Schemes

Advantages and weaknesses of higher order modulation
- Interference Sensitivity
- QPSK
- 16-QAM, 64-QAM)
- Consequences
- Behavior in Time Variant Mobile Radio Channels
- Behavior of a time variant mobile radio channel
- Effect of amplitude variations
- Effect of phase variations

16-QAM for the S-CCPCH (DL)
- MBSFN only
- Interleaving
- Modulation
- Scaling factors

64-QAM for the HS-PDSCH (DL)
- Interleaving
- Constellation Rearrangement
- Modulation
- Related UE Categories

16-QAM for UL (4-PAM for the E-DPDCH)
- HARQ Rate Matching Stage
- Interleaver
- Modulator
- UE category

Overview Advantages and Disadvantages
- Higher peak data rate
- Better resource utilization
- Blind choice of modulation scheme
- High SNIR requirement
- More TX power requirement
- Low range
- Small cell environment
- Restrictions of use for high UE moving speeds

Channel Estimation Algorithms
- Normal Algorithm
- Gathering pilot information
- Channel estimation
- Data detection
- Advantage
- Disadvantage
- Advanced Algorithms
- Shorter channel estimation window
- Moving channel estimation window
- Adaptive detection
- Turbo detection
- Advantages
- Disadvantages

Performance16-QAM in the UL
- Performance on Link Level 16-QAM in the UL
- Performance of BPSK compared to 4-PAM
- Influence of non-linearity of the power amplifier
- Performance on System Level
- Behavior with increasing load
- Maximum versus average throughput

Higher Order Modulation Testing
- Test Setup for 16-QAM in the UL
- RF components
- Discussion of the setup
- Selected Performance Requirements for 16-QAM in the UL
- BPSK vs. 4-PAM
- Effect of RX diversity
- Effect of high degree of multipath
- Effect of high UE moving speed

MIMO

Introduction to MIMO Technology
- The Basics: Signal Fading Physics between TX and RX
- Scattering
- Refraction
- Reflection
- Diffraction
- Multiplexing Dimensions
- The Multipath Dimension
- MIMO General Operation

MIMO Feedback Procedure (PCI)
- Motivation of Spatial Precoding
- Plain MIMO
- Multiple rank beamforming
- Spatial Precoding
- Codebook, PCI and CQI Loop
- Codebook
- PCI and CQI loop

MIMO Algorithms
- Linear MIMO Algorithms (Preparation work, Equalizer at the end of the processing chain,
- Equalizer at the beginning of the processing chain), Non-Linear MIMO Algorithms

MIMO Performance
- MIMO Performance on Link Level (SISO vs. SIMO, SIMO vs. MIMO, 2x2 MIMO vs. 4x2
- MIMO, 16-QAM vs. 64-QAM), Performance on System Level (MIMO vs. SIMO, 50% vs.
- 75% power allocation, 0% vs. 4% feedback errors)

MIMO Tests
- Official Test Setups (Test NodeB, Fading simulator, Noise generator, UE under test, Single stream test setup, Double stream test setup), Quick and Easy Test Setups (The
easiest test setup, A more reliable test setup: The MIMO circle), Selected Performance
- Requirement Figures (Conditions, 64-QAM performance, Dual stream MIMO
performance, Single stream MIMO performance)

Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC)

Basic features
- Uplink Discontinuous Transmission (DTX), Downlink Discontinuous Reception (DRX)

RRC message ID’s
- DTX and DRX Information

CPC Timing
- Uplink CQI transmission

Example for Uplink DPCCH Burst Pattern for 10 ms E-DCH TTI
- Uplink DRX, Downlink DRX

Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble
- Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the DPCCH only transmission, Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the E-DCH transmission, Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the HS-DPCCH transmission

Example of simultaneous Uplink DTX and Downlink DRX

CPC and Enhanced F-DPCH
- Timing Implications for CPC + Enhanced F-DPCCH

Upgraded L1 Signaling

HS-SCCH Review of Rel. 5 and 6
- HS-SCCH Frame Structure, HS-SCCH Part 1 and 2 Forward Error Coding Chain, UE
specific masking of Part 1 and Part 2, HS-PDSCH Code Allocation through Part1 of HSSCCH,
- Transport Block Size Determination – TFRI Mapping

HS-SCCH of Rel. 7
- HS-SCCH Overview of Rel. 7 (HS-SCCH type 1, No HS-SCCH, HS-SCCH type 2, HSSCCH
type 3), HS-SCCH Type 1 (HS-SCCH Type 1, HS-SCCH Type 1 for Configured 64-QAM Operation, HS-SCCH Orders, 64-QAM Constellation Versions), HS-SCCH Type 2 (for HS-SCCH less operation) (Use of the HS-SCCH-less operation, Procedure HSSCCH-less operation), HS-SCCH Type 3 (HS-SCCH Type 3 Overview, Modulation and
Transport Block Number , HARQ Process Number, Redundancy Version and
Constellation Version)

HS-DPCCH of Rel. 7
- HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK (ACK-NACK of primary TB in R5, Preamble and postamble in
R6, ACK-NACK of 2 TB’s in R7), HS-DPCCH PCI and CQI type A and B (CQI in case of
no MIMO operation, PCI and CQI in case of MIMO with 1 TB (CQI type A), PCI and CQI
in case of MIMO with 2 TB’s (CQI type B))

E-AGCH and E-DPCCH
- Changes in the E-TFCI tables, Changes in the AG tables, Changes in the SG tables

MAC-ehs Entity versus MAC-hs

UTRAN side MAC-hs Details – CELL_DCH only
- Flow Control, Scheduling/Priority Handling, HARQ, TFRC selection

UE side MAC-hs Details – CELL_DCH only
- HARQ, Reordering Queue distribution, Reordering, Disassembly

UTRAN side MAC-ehs Details
- Some advantages of MAC-ehs compared to MAC-hs , Flow Control, HARQ, TFRC
selection (~ TFRI), LCH-ID mux, Segmentation

UE side MAC-ehs Details
- HARQ , Disassembly, Reordering queue distribution, Reordering, Reassembly, LCH-ID demultiplexing

Differences in the MAC-ehs and MAC-hs Header
- MAC-hs Header Parameter Description
- MAC-hs SDU , , MAC-hs Header of MAC-hs PDU), MAC-ehs Header Parameter Description
- MAC-ehs Header Parameter Details
- HARQ Process Work Flow in UE – MAC-hs / MAC-ehs
- Split HS-DSCH Block Functionality
- Practical Exercise: MAC-hs contra MAC-ehs
- MAC-hs / MAC-ehs Stall Avoidance
- Timer-Based Scheme
- Window Bases Scheme
- MAC-(e)hs Reordering Functionality – Timer / Window based

Flexible RLC PDU Sizes

The RLC AMD PDU – Rel. 7 Enhancements
- The Poll (POLL) super-field
- RLC AMD Header Fields
- Release 7 Enhancement of the HE-Field and LI

Comparison of RLC-AM between Rel. 6 and Rel. 7
- RLC-AM Overhead using fixed or flexible PDU size
· RRC State Operation Enhancements

Transport Channel Type Switching with HSPA in R6
- Transport Channel Combinations between UL and DL, Radio Bearer Multiplexing Options in Rel. 6

Operation of UTRA RRC States in Release 7
- UE Idle mode, CELL_DCH state

HS-DSCH Reception in CELL_FACH and XXX_PCH
- Overview (UE dedicated paging in CELL_DCH, CELL_FACH and CELL_PCH, BCCH
reception in CELL_FACH, FACH measurement occasion calculation, Measurement
reporting procedure), (1) Operation in the CELL_FACH state (DCCH / DTCH reception in
CELL_FACH state , User data on HS-DSCH in Enhanced CELL_FACH state), (2) Operation in the CELL_FACH state – Cell Update, (3) RRC Idle to transient CELL_FACH
(Common H-RNTI selection in CELL_FACH (FDD only), H-RNTI selection when entering
Connected mode (FDD only) ), Operation in the URA_PCH or CELL_PCH state (Data
Transfer in CELL_PCH with dH-RNTI, State Transision from CELL_PCH to CELL_FACH
to CELL_DCH, CELL_PCH and URA_PCH enhanced Paging Procedure)

HSPA+ Features in Release 8

Overview of HSPA+ Related Work Items in R8

Requirements for two branch IC

CS voice over HSPA

Performance req. for 15 HSDPA codes

MIMO + 64-QAM

Enhanced DRX

Improved L2 for UL

Enhanced UL for CELL_FACH

R3 Enhancements for HSPA

Enhanced SRNS relocation

MIMO combined with 64-QAM

New UE Categories
- Data Rate, Soft IR memory

L1 Signaling of MIMO and 64-QAM
- Modulation Schemes and TB Sizes (Signaling on the HS-SCCH type 3, Dilemma to signal
on the modulation schema and TB number field, Solution), CQI Signaling, CQI Tables
used

Interested readers can refer to Alcatel-Lucent presentation in HSPA+ Summit here.

There is also an interesting Qualcomm paper titled, "Release 7 HSPA+ For Mobile Broadband Evolution" available here.

4G: War to End Wars

2008-05-05T16:00:00.001+08:00

The battle between Long Term Evolution and Mobile WiMAX may be escalating into a “4G” war, explains Unstrung.

The International Telecommunication Union, Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), wants an “official” 4G standard. ITU defines “4G” as 100 Mbit/s (mobile) and 1 Gbit/s in hot spot areas with limited mobility. They call it IMT-Advanced and are looking for proposals.

Currently, cellular providers are talking up the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (although it’s not really a standard (yet). LTE is sometimes called “4G”, but it’s really just an evolutionary step to true “4G” — even if the standard still has yet to be fully ratified.

Undetered, 3GPP earlier this month started work on their version of “4G” — LTE-Advanced. It will be the 3GPP’s official proposal for IMT-Advanced. The requirements for LTE Advanced are expected to be firmed up at a meeting in Prague at the end of this month. (See Unstrung’s 3GPP Studies LTE Are Advanced, LTE Hits 300 Mbit/s, and LTE Specs on Track.)

Meanwhile, the IEEE believes their draft standard, WiMax 802.16m, should be the rightful IMT-Advanced standard. It would meet the 100 Mbps (mobile) and 1 Gbps (fixed) requirements of the ITU.

“802.16m should meet the requirements of IMT-Advanced and be backwards compatible with 802.16e,” says Roger Marks, chair of the IEEE 802.16 work group and a senior vice president at NextWave Wireless Inc. “We want 802.16m approved and completely finished by end of 2009.”

The IEEE and 3GPP are pushing efforts to modify their standards to be in line with the ITU’s IMT-Advanced proposals for “4G”.

The technical requirements for IMT-Advanced will be defined when it meets in Dubai at the end of June. The deadline for IMT-Advanced submissions is expected to be around October 2009, says Unstung.

Motorola Mobile WiMAX in Thailand

2008-05-05T15:59:00.001+08:00

Motorola is working with Advanced Info Service (AIS), the largest mobile operator in Thailand, to conduct trials of mobile WiMAX. The trials will enable AIS to gain insight into the next generation personal wireless broadband services.

AIS started trials over Motorola’s WiMAX Access Point-400 (WAP-400) platform in Bangkok and Lamlukka in the first quarter of 2008. The operator is studying performance of real-life applications over the mobile WiMAX network, and customer usage models in metropolitan, suburban and rural areas.

AIS is Thailand’s largest GSM mobile phone operator with 23 million customers as of 2007. AIS sees WiMAX as complementary to its existing fixed line and wireless offerings. AIS believes WiMAX is an effective replacement for ADSL in cities and suburban areas.

Motorola currently has 19 contracts for WiMAX 802.16e deployments and is involved in 80 WiMAX engagements with customers in more than 40 countries around the world.

Solectek 3.65 GHz WiMAX

2008-05-05T15:54:00.000+08:00

Solectek, a San Diego manufacturer of broadband and public safety wireless equipment, announced the addition of 3.65 GHz WiMAX base stations and subscriber terminals tailored for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and municipalities.

“Our 3.65 platform was designed from the ground up for small to mid-size WISPs”, said Dr. Eric Lee, CEO for Solectek. Industry research firms believe the market for 3.65 GHz is poised for growth.

“There has been strong interest on the part of carriers and vendors in the 3.65 GHz band since the FCC rulings,” said Adlane Fellah, CEO and Founder of Maravedis, Inc. “The 3.65 GHz market enables manufacturers such as Solectek and other BWA vendors the opportunity to leverage much of their investment in 3.5 GHz products by introducing a slightly modified WiMAX platform for the U.S. and other markets where 3.5 cannot be deployed. The 3.65 GHz band can fill a void, especially in rural areas not served or under-served by other broadband services providers.”

Monica Paolini of Senza Fili Consulting added: “The FCC’s decision to use a non-exclusive shared use licensing scheme for the 3.65 GHz band, combined with a fast and affordable license registration process, has created a unique opportunity for small to mid-size service providers to expand their business cost effectively and to protect their investment.”

Solectek’s 3.65 GHz system competes with other 3.65GHz products from Alvarion, Airspan and Redline Communications.

Quickertek antenna promises to boost Time Capsule's range

2008-04-11T13:17:00.000+08:00

It won't do much to complement the Time Capsule's minimalist looks, but if you've been itching to get a bit more range of out thing, you now have a new option to consider from Quickertek, which recently introduced its new TriBand Antenna for the device. Available either as a self-install kit or pre-installed on the Time Capsule of your choice, the slightly janky-looking rig promises a 50% increase in range over a standard Time Capsule, with ample coaxial cabling provided to let you position it just right. As if that wasn't enough, Quickertek is also promising that the antenna will let you reach speeds "much closer to the theoretical yield of 300 megabits per second," although it apparently isn't making any firm claims on that matter. If that sounds like the boost you've been looking for, you can grab the self-install kit now for $130, get Quickertek to install the antenna on your existing Time Capsule for $200, or get a 500GB or 1TB Time Capsule with it pre-installed for $500 or $700, respectively.

AT&T offers free Option GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA cards (must sell soul)

2008-04-11T13:16:00.000+08:00

Check it data fans, AT&T just announced a pair of new HSUPA LaptopConnect cards from Option. The GT Ultra goes type II PCMCIA while the GT Ultra Express is, you guessed it, destined for ExpressCard34 slots. Both cards are tri-band UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100MHz and quad-band GPRS/EDGE capable for BroadbandConnect speeds of about 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps on the way down or 500Kbps to 800Kbps back up the tubes. Those bands should get your suit connected in some 140 countries spanning the US, Europe, Japan and Korea. The cards are Mac and PC compatible and will set you back ~~$50~~ 0$ (for a limited time starting tomorrow) plus a two year contract of at least $60 per month. After you mail-in the appropriate rebate forms of course... which you'll probably forget to do.

Apple launches 802.11n Airport Express right on cue

2008-04-11T13:14:00.001+08:00

What's this? New Product from Apple on a Monday? Why, yes, yes it is. The 802.11n Airport Express rumored over the weekend just became official. $99 takes the little iTunes streaming, pocket base station home to a draft-n network near you. Yes, today.

BMW's ConnectedDrive brings the whole internet to your car... on EDGE

2008-04-11T13:13:00.000+08:00

And you thought puttering around the intarwebz on your EDGE-capable iPhone was bad -- just think of trying to find anything on the 'net while accidentally moseying through a dodgy part of town. Nevertheless, BMW is gearing up to offer "unrestricted access" to the web as an option in any new 2008 vehicle, but alas, it's only for European clients at the moment. Of course, BMW's no stranger to letting bits and pieces of the web into its motorcars, but this creation will let you catch up on the latest gadget news and pre-order the latest Elmo doll from the comfort of your heated seat. Sadly, the service is only available to front seat passengers when the car is moving under 3mph (it's for the best, we know), but your kiddos can surf into all sorts of bizarre chatrooms while seated in the rear. Nothing like a predator tailing you on the autobahn!

Sprint to launch dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices this year?

2008-04-11T13:12:00.000+08:00

Assuming Sprint can make it -- and that's starting to seem like kind of a big if these days -- CEO Dan Hesse made some comments about the coming 4G revolution, including one auspicious hint about dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices this later year for XOHM. It's almost an exciting enough concept for us to forget that even if these devices were forthcoming in 2008, they'd still only be for one of the soft launch markets, and would probably start as a data cards -- not phones. But hey, we're happy to be proven wrong, Sprint.

Tata rolls out "world's largest" commercial WiMAX network in India

2008-04-11T11:46:00.000+08:00

It seems as if Tata Communications is out to one-up BSNL -- or at least claim its share of the limelight, anyway. More specifically, the outfit has teamed up with Telsima in order to roll out the "world's largest commercial WiMAX network" in India. Over 5,000 enterprise / retail customers are already connected in ten cities, and there are plans in place to secure nearly a quarter million customers in retail alone during fiscal year 2009. Furthermore, we're hearing that the services should be stretched to 110 cities for enterprise users and 15 cities for the retail segment by the year's end, but users in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Chandigarh, and Kolkata are the only ones celebrating at the moment. Not a bad way to grab a bit more market share from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, eh?

Sierra Wireless intros Compass 597 EV-DO USB modem

2008-04-11T11:45:00.001+08:00

Truth be told, there's nothing extraordinary about Sierra Wireless' latest EV-DO USB modem. It plays nice with Rev. A networks, includes a microSD slot, and comes with TRU-Install to simplify the setup procedure. Granted, it is "the only product in its class to include a connector for an external antenna (saywha?)," and it is remarkably small, so it's still worth a look if you're currently doing without. As expected, you'll reach downlink speeds of up to 3.1Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, and the built-in GPS antenna is a nice bonus, too. Unfortunately, we've no idea how costly this one will be, but be on the lookout for a Q2 launch.

802.11n AirPort Express hands-on

2008-04-11T11:43:00.001+08:00

Well, what can we say? The new 802.11n AirPort Express looks exactly like the 802.11g AirPort Express we've been using to stream iTunes and wirelessly print to an el-cheapo USB laser printer since 2004. In fact, if not for the different model numbers (A1264 now, instead of A1084) and the fact that our old unit has some random battle scars, we would have found it almost impossible to tell them apart. Check the gallery for the hot side-by-side action.

Intel touts long-distance WiFi for rural areas

2008-04-11T11:42:00.001+08:00

While some companies are busy exploring other options for bringing wireless connectivity to rural areas, Intel's apparently been hard at work pushing plain old WiFi as far as they're able to, and they're reportedly now seeing some rather impressive results. According to Technology Review, the company's so-called "rural connectivity platform" (or RCP) is able to beam WiFi signals from one antenna to another located more than 60 miles away, and at data rates up to 6.5 megabits per second, no less. To do that, Intel whipped up some software that effectively rewrites the way the two radios communicate with one another, in particular by eliminating the extra data sent confirming transmissions. Of course, those high-powered antennas also come into play considerably, but Intel says the entire system is both inexpensive (it's aiming for below $500 when it starts selling it in India later this year) and low-power, with two or three radios in a link requiring just five or six watts.

China Mobile firing up TD-SCDMA trials this April

2008-04-11T11:41:00.000+08:00

We've been hearing that China Mobile would have its act together and get TD-SCDMA ready well in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics since last November, and with merely months to spare, it seems things just may work out. Reportedly, the carrier is all set to begin commercial trials of the home cooked 3G standard on April 1st, where it will be tested in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qinhuangdao and of course, Beijing. Initially, China Mobile Group will provide 20,000 lucky souls with free TD-SCDMA phones and subsidies of 800 yuan per month, while folks outside of that group can also walk into retail outlets and pick up discounted handsets on a whim. Maybe it's just us, but we'd probably hold off until those guinea pigs gave everyone else a heads-up of the network quality before we went dropping our own change on it.

CEO of failed WiMAX operator calls the technology a "disaster"

2008-04-11T11:39:00.000+08:00

We haven't heard too many specifics when it comes to performance of actual WiMAX rollouts (and let's be real, we're all kind of waiting for LTE at this point, right?), but Garth Freeman, CEO of Buzz Broadband, apparently shuttered the company's Australian WiMAX rollout in Hervey Bay, publicly declaring that for his company and customers the technology "failed miserably". Apparently beyond about a mile from the base station non-line of sight performance was "non-existent", regular indoor use produced latencies as high as 1000ms even just 400m away, and the company had to scrap its network for TD-CDMA service on 1.9GHz just to make sure customers weren't completely left in the cold.

Slacker Portable gets Devicescape WiFi manager

2008-04-11T11:36:00.000+08:00

Hey, Slacker Portable users -- yeah, all eight of you: listen up. Slacker has just teamed up with Devicescape Software in order to give you easier access to more WiFi when on the go. Essentially, the Devicescape Connect application is a WiFi hotspot manager which allows users to register usernames / passwords online and then have the software automatically connect whenever in range. For existing users all giddy about having more opportunities to refresh your Personal Radio stations, you can simply perform a station refresh to nab the new goods -- as for prospective buyers, look for all Portables shipping now to have Devicescape pre-installed.

MWC: Nortel takes a closer look at EDGE

2008-04-11T10:12:00.001+08:00

Vendor releases Evolved EDGE upgrade; promises to breathe new life into 2G technology

BARCELONA--While the rest of the Mobile World Congress did back flips for the latest radio access craze, Long Term Evolution, Nortel Networks was talking 2G. The vendor is proposing that operators take another look at the EDGE networks of yesteryear, and specifically buy its new software upgrade to the GSM base station, Evolved EDGE.

Evolved EDGE is essentially a multi-channel data technology, working much the same way as CDMA EV-DO Revision B. Several 40 KHz EDGE channels are merged creating a super channel of sorts, which can deliver capacity close to broadband speeds, said Scott Wickware, vice president of carrier networks for Nortel. The packet nature of EDGE even gives it advantages to 3G at greater distances from the cell site, Wickware said: “At the cell edge, Evolved EDGE behaves the same as UMTS.”

Only a software upgrade would be necessary at the base station, but the biggest obstacle to implementing it is to get the necessary upgrades in handsets, which would need to reprogrammed to accept the multi-channel streams. No handset vendors have yet to commit to doing such, but several other infrastructure vendors such as Nokia Siemens are pursuing the technology. If carriers elect to deploy it, the handsets will follow, Wickware said, and there are several operators that every reason to so. Operators who didn’t win 3G spectrum need to bolster their 2G networks while waiting for the advent of 4G technologies and even many 3G operators have only deployed UMTS in “islands”. For those operators Evolved EDGE would be a convenient way to upgrade their entire data footprint without investing in new 3G rollouts, Wickware said.

Nortel may have been talking 2G at the show, but it still took equal part in the 4G festivities. For the second year in a row, Nortel had its prototype LTE base station turned up, running over local 1900 MHz spectrum. This year its joint venture partner LG Electronics had turned its proof-of-concept terminal boxes into prototype handsets though, allowing Nortel to show LTE in its more natural mobile state.

Wickware acknowledged the noise over LTE had grown intense this year, but he said it was not being over-hyped. “The truth is operators need LTE sooner rather than later,” Wickware said, adding that the development cycles for all of the vendors are being accelerated. “A lot of infrastructure vendors and handset vendors are ready to tell operators about their products.”

Sprint looking for WiMAX options

2008-04-11T10:11:00.000+08:00

Everyone from Intel to Best Buy has been named as a possible partner, but Sprint’s main goal now seems to be to revive the Clearwire partnership

In the last few weeks, numerous potential partners have emerged as possible saviors for Sprint’s ailing WiMAX efforts, but so far there’s been little substance to the rumors except for Sprint’s own admission it’s searching for a suitor.

On its earnings call last week, Sprint reported a loss of $29.5 billion, and new CEO Dan Hesse admitted the problems at Sprint were worse than he envisioned when he first took over. But although much of the financial community expected the new and expensive 4G network to be the first item on the chopping block during Sprint’s restructuring, Hesse sought to assure investors that Sprint’s interest in WiMAX had not flagged.

“I want to leave you with no doubt that our first priority is our core business, which is where our people and our capital are focused without distraction,” Hesse said. “But Sprint has an enormous asset--nearly 100 megahertz of unutilized spectrum--and the opportunity to have a three-year head start with our Xohm service, true wireless broadband with multi-megabit speed.”

Hesse also indicated Sprint doesn’t want to tackle that opportunity alone. Sprint is still very much open to reviving the spectrum-sharing partnership with Clearwire that collapsed late last year, he said. In fact, Sprint is still in active negotiations with the broadband wireless provider, which owns the same 2.5-GHz spectrum but in smaller markets than Sprint’s primarily large metro-area licenses. No final agreement has been reached though, Hesse said, and he didn’t address any of the other rumors circulating about other possible tie-ups.

The most prominent of those rumors is an investment by Intel. In February, TheStreet.com first reported that Intel would make a $2 billion investment in a Clearwire-Sprint joint venture. TheStreet, however, also said the deal could be announced publicly in the next few days, which never happened. Still, Intel’s potential interest in a deal holds a lot of water. It’s already invested $600 million in Clearwire, which was, in part, an incentive for Clearwire to abandon its NextNet proprietary broadband wireless technology in favor of WiMAX. Intel is hell-bent on creating a Mobile WiMAX market in the U.S., giving it an outlet for its next-generation wireless networking chips. Given that the two largest operators in the U.S., Verizon Wireless and AT&T, have already tapped Long Term Evolution as their future 4G technology, Intel probably wants to assure that the country’s sole nationwide WiMAX network makes it beyond infancy.

But Intel isn’t the only one supposedly interested. News reports and analysts have named companies from every corner of the telecom and consumer electronics worlds as possible investors: search-engine giant Google, South Korean telco SK Telecom, vendor Motorola, cable operator Comcast and even big-box retailer Best Buy. Google definitely has an acute interest in broadband wireless as a means to extend its Web services to the mobile world, but Google is much more motivated in ensuring 3G and 4G networks are open to its applications rather than in being in the wireless operator business itself. Google participated in the ongoing 700 MHz auctions, but it is widely believed it only bid up nationwide spectrum to meet the FCC’s open access threshold, thus requiring that the eventual winner open its networks to Google services. But Google has a clear interest in Sprint. It has partnered with the carrier to provide portal services for the new Xohm network and is working with Sprint on the 3G front to promote its new Android operating system.

SK Telecom has already shown an active interest in the U.S. market, joining with EarthLink to launch MVNO Helio. Its investment continues. Last year SK invested another $270 million to prop up the venture, despite the virtual operator’s poor financial performance. Like Intel, SK Telecom has a vested interest in seeing WiMAX succeed in the U.S. SK currently runs the only commercial Mobile WiMAX network in Korea, using Samsung-developed WiBro technology, and the success of its network venture depends on WiMAX’s global adoption.

Motorola is the other named potential investor pining for WiMAX’s success. As the company has struggled with 3G, it has reinvented itself as a 4G player focusing particularly on WiMAX. Along with Intel, Moto also invested $300 million in Clearwire and took over Clearwire’s NextNet infrastructure business. But Motorola is reeling from its own financial problems and probably isn’t considering many major capital outlays.

Comcast might feasibly be interested in participating in a Sprint-Clearwire joint venture in order to offer wireless broadband to compliment its home cable modem services. The problem is Clearwire’s business model directly competes with Comcast’s home broadband services in many markets. And so far, Comcast’s quadruple play experiment with Sprint in the Pivot joint venture has been a wash.

The last rumored investor, Best Buy, is probably the most unlikely as the retailer has no interest in whether WiMAX succeeds or fails. “Best Buy would be a highly relevant distribution partner for JV services,” said ThinkEquity in a research note on Clearwire issued today. “Notwithstanding, we never understood why this required Best Buy to invest in the JV; we would be surprised if Best Buy significantly invests in the JV.”

Though Best Buy’s participation is unlikely, ThinkEquity expects an investment package to emerge soon. Intel will be the catalyst for such a transaction, and it can bring other big players to the table, the analyst firm said.

NextWave targets TV over WiMAX

2008-04-11T10:08:00.002+08:00

Operator-turned-vendor expands its partnership with Huawei and uses IPWireless’s TDtv technology to build multicast video into WiMAX

NextWave revealed a new video delivery platform today designed to deliver Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) capabilities to new WiMAX networks, using technology from its IPWireless and PacketVideo acquisitions.

The network technology builds off of the TDtv technology that IPWireless developed for Time Division-CDMA networks in Europe. Using MBMS techniques, video channels can be fed through the base station to WiMAX handsets or portable computers, either multicast live to multiple users or unicast to individual users depending on channel demand and viewing patterns.

The plus side of such a technology over dedicated mobile TV technologies such as Qualcomm’s Forward Link Only (FLO) and Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) is they do not require a special radio receiver chip to pick up the TV channels—the video stream is modulated right over the same WiMAX silicon. The downside, however, is that only NextWave WiMAX has the software necessary to receive MXtv. WiMAX interoperability testing partner Huawei has agreed to integrate MXtv technology into its WiMAX base station line, and NextWave mobile product division chief marketing officer Jon Hambidge said NextWave is finalizing other WiMAX infrastructure deals. If WiMAX vendors support and sell the technology, it will create momentum among CPE and handset vendors to build MXtv capabilities into their devices, either through buying NextWave silicon or licensing NextWave technology, Hambidge said.

NextWave is also taking the technology before the WiMAX Forum, hoping to generate interest in getting the technique standardized for WiMAX, just as MBMS has been standardized before the 3GPP for UMTS. If NextWave succeeds, it wouldn’t necessarily mean that all future WiMAX gear would be multicast ready, but the Forum could create as special multicast profile for devices and infrastructure supporting TV services.

Hambidge said video is an opportunity too good for WiMAX operators to ignore. Many WiMAX operators are sitting on vast swaths of spectrum, deploying broadband services in only a small portion of them. Sprint, for instance has 100 MHz of spectrum in many markets, while Clearwire has 70 MHz in several of its own territories. If those operators allocated 10 MHz to MXtv, they could offer 45 300-kb/s channels, running QVGA video at 30 frames per second.

Ideally operators could offer those TV channels for free or at much lower cost than Qualcomm is offering MediaFLO services, using that programming as an incentive to lure customers onto the new WiMAX networks, Hambidge said. “In the first couple of years of WiMAX deployment, you’re not going to use all of your capacity,” Hambidge said. “MXtv is a great way to monetize your network in the meantime.”

NextWave will give its first public demonstrations of MXtv at CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas next month.

LTE and WiMAX to share CTIA stage

2008-04-11T10:08:00.001+08:00

xpect a flurry of mobile application announcements at the wireless show

Long-term evolution trumped WiMAX at Mobile World Congress, as GSM operators around the world gathered under the LTE banner, but don't expect the same to happen at CTIA. WiMAX's champions will likely be just as loud as LTE's at North America's largest wireless event.

Leading up to CTIA, Ericsson announced its intention to support both LTE and high-speed packet access (HSPA) at 700 MHz. Ericsson won't be unveiling a new product, per se, but it has promised to turn around a 700 MHz UMTS base station within six months of an order being placed.

“What we're announcing today are product plans to produce a complete ecosystem for LTE and HSPA at 700 MHz,” said Arun Bhikshesvaran, vice president of strategy and chief technology officer for North America for Ericsson.

Nokia Siemens Networks already has committed to tuning its Flexi base station line to 700 MHz across its GSM, HSPA, LTE, UMTS and WiMAX portfolios. As CTIA arrives, the rest of the vendor community will likely follow suit. Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Nortel Networks and NSN want to make it abundantly clear that they can support both technologies, said Peter Jarich, principal analyst for wireless infrastructure for Current Analysis: They want to be in the carriers' good graces no matter which 4G path those providers opt to follow.

Ultimately, WiMAX may have the upper hand at the show. LTE is still just a point on vendors' development road maps, while WiMAX is being deployed by Clearwire, Sprint and a handful of tiny providers across the country — and the first inklings of WiMAX network enhancements are starting to emerge. NextWave is unveiling its new MXtv solution at CTIA, which adds multicast and unicast video capabilities to the WiMAX base station.

The only thing taking the wind out of WiMAX's sales is the troubling performance of its biggest champion, Sprint. The operator soft-launched networks in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C., at the beginning of the year, but it has been very quiet amid rumors of a new partnership or group of investors to ease its financial burden. Sprint, however, has promised some kind of commercial launch in the second quarter, and CEO Dan Hesse's CTIA keynote happens to fall on April 1, the first day of the new quarter.

On the mobile applications side, CTIA won't be hurting for new announcements. Show discussions will center on apps and services running over operators' new WiMAX networks — all things related to open access and mobile content, said Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research for IDC.

Following Qualcomm's acquisition of content-targeting technologist Xiam, more companies are expected to get on board with mobile ads. TeleCommunication Systems will introduce CTIA attendees to new blended short message services (SMS) that leverage location-based messaging — applications such as prescription alerts, emergency alerts, SMS banners for location-based advertising and information — on mobile handsets.

In the mobile content area, Quickplay Media will unveil what it claims is the first universally available XM Radio Mobile service for BlackBerry users in the U.S. Until now, subscribers have been required to belong to a specific network.

Comverse will unveil a Total Communications Strategy, which it claims drives “true convergence.” The platform will include converged billing and IP services, mobile content and messaging, and its recently launched mobile advertising platform. Comverse's Innovation Lab also will feature a slew of new mobile apps, including Web 2.0 mashups, Social Sync — allowing users to update their Facebook profile from their mobile devices — Virtual Worlds and a service similar to Flickr called Context Calls.

Ulticom will announce ePASS, a server that uses SIM card authorization to make it easier for service providers to give users access to for-pay mobile content and services. The server enables a single-sign-on experience, making it much easier for users to try premium services — and much easier for operators to get paid.

Who has control of these new services and how they will be delivered will be a topic for debate at the show. With the operators on one side affirming their authority and the vendors on the other side calling for the end of the operator's regime, Bakhshi said that the power will shift somewhat into the hands of challengers such as Google and Nokia, but the operators will ultimately remain in charge. Along those lines, mobile policy solution provider Camiant is launching new wireless applications for a made-for-mobile broadband solution that give carriers complete control over off-deck mobile apps while guaranteeing quality of experience to help encourage uptake of these high-priced premium applications.

D2 Technologies will debut a mobile device solution that links handsets built under Google's Android specifications to enterprise IP PBXs and service provider unified communications offerings. The solution will use D2's mCUE user interface to handle voice, IM, SMS and e-mail communications in a next-generation, mixed-network environment.

Backhaul announcements also are sure to abound at CTIA. Mobile backhaul provider Juniper Networks will move from the network core to the base station with the launch of the BX7000 Multi-Access Gateway, an aggregation site gateway that Mallik Tatipamula, head of the mobile and fixed/mobile convergence segment for Juniper, said will solve operator's two biggest challenges: providing broadband service across next-generation mobile broadband backhaul and concurrently keeping operating expenses down. The backhaul platform will extend Juniper's aggregation node to the GSM/UMTS market.

Also in the transport area, Vanu will be featuring its recently announced Anywave MultiRAN radio access network, which can be shared by multiple operators. The company claims the product is one of the first such systems to enable each operator to maintain independent management control and make technology road map improvements.

CTIA: Vodafone CEO warns against 4G standard wars

2008-04-11T10:04:00.000+08:00

Sarin

LAS VEGAS--The wireless industry needs to rally behind a single 4G standard and not waste resources on technology wars in order to take full advantage of the massive opportunity of the mobile Internet, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin said in his CTIA keynote address here today.

“We need to think about LTE as a broad and encompassing standard,” Sarin said. “I was there for the CDMA-TDMA wars, and when the GSM-WCDMA wars were going on. Those wars produced very little. What we need to learn from our history is the need for a common encompassing standard. It would be good to have WiMAX find a home in the TDD section of LTE. The last thing we need is dueling standards to take resources away from developing something that is in the common interests of this industry.”

Wasting time and resources on a standards war puts the entire industry at some risk as wireless carriers face competition from Internet players that are willing to leverage wireless access, reducing service providers to fat pipes, Sarin said. The mobile Internet is the industry’s future, he said, and wireless carriers must be prepared to change to prepare for that future.

“Mobile can become the primary means of accessing the Internet in developed countries and especially in developing countries,” Sarin said. “Our industry is at an important crossroads – we have to invest to bring new services to life. We cannot become just bit pipes for others who make these investments on our behalf. If we get this right, the mobile Internet and associated broadband services will produce an enormous upside. If we get this wrong, the mobile Internet will still produce an enormous upside but that upside will not be experienced by us.”

Sarin also called on the wireless industry to reduce the number of mobile operating systems as well, advocating three or four instead of the current 10 or 12. “I’m not saying we get down to one – we’ve seen that movie,” Sarin said.

Sarin challenged the wireless industry to invest more heavily in customer relationship management systems and location-based technology and to listen to consumer demands for simpler billing options. While proud of his long-time wireless heritage, Sarin said he and others who built wireless networks beginning in the 1980s realize they would build them differently if starting from scratch today, adding that the wireless industry needs to be quicker to adopt the newer systems.

In order to become the primary means of Internet access, the industry needs “high-resolution screens, longer battery lives, touch screens,” Sarin said. “We need to minimize keystrokes, make things intuitive and develop different kinds of Internet services and content that are suitable for mobile.”

“As an industry, we must move from a mindset of providing a channel from which users can access the Internet to designing an Internet experience to suit the mobile channel,” Sarin said.

First Mobile WiMAX products certified (in Korea)

2008-04-11T10:00:00.000+08:00

The WiMax Forum has certified the first Mobile WiMax products, announcing this week that four base stations and four data cards have received the Forum seal. Though the first “official” Mobile WiMax products in the market, they are targeted solely on the South Korean market where Korea Telecom has been operating a pre-WiMax network for two years.

The first wave of WiMax testing essentially certifies Samsung and its partners, who have pushed for its WiBro technology’s inclusion into the WiMax standard. Based on the same IEEE 802.16e as traditional mobile WiMax, WiBro uses unique frequencies (2.3 GHz) and odd channel sizes (9 MHz), and the equipment can only be sold in Korea. The gear is also probably the only WiMax line that will not include support for multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) smart antenna technologies.

That’s all fine by Korea Telecom, which immediately stated it would begin using the new certified products in its now-WiMax network. KT first launched commercial service in 2005 using Samsung gear and has signed up 100,000 subscribers and sold a variety of devices from laptop dongles to miniature computers.

While the certification of Wave 1 products for Korea is a mainly a milestone, the forum said it signals the ramping up of its interoperability and compliance testing throughout its global lab network. With the first wave under its belt, the forum will now move ahead much more quickly in its certification efforts for North American and global products, said Ron Resnick, WiMax Forum president.

“Stay tuned,” Resnick said in a statement. “We expect this momentum to continue throughout the year when the first products for the 2.5 GHz frequency achieve certification in the coming months.”

The 2.5 GHz licenses are owned by Sprint and Clearwire in the US, and Wave 2 certification is expected to produce the first base stations, home gateway and PC card products for their networks. While Resnick gave no exact date for those first products to appear, they will likely coincide with or shortly follow Sprint’s commercial launch of Xohm this quarter.

The forum also has a lot of other profiles on its plate. Global 3.5 GHz frequencies have also been identified as optimal for WiMax and have spawned numerous trials in Europe as well as small-scale commercial rollouts. The forum has also said it would certify gear at 700 MHz to support the networks of the recent auction winners.

The forum’s certification priorities, however, follow the interests of its large operator and vendor membership closely. KT was the first WiMax operator to launch, thus WiBro was the first profile certified. Sprint is next, and therefore its 2.5 GHz MIMO profile is the next to hit the labs. As more major operators make their 4G network decisions, the forum as well as its vendor membership will likely fall in lockstep.

BT has been contemplating expanding its WiFi wireless strategy to the wide area network using WiMax and is likely to participate in the upcoming 2.6 GHz auction in the UK. Japan has also become a hotspot for WiMax as the consortium UQ communications plans a nationwide rollout covering 90% of the population by 2012, using the same 2.5 GHz spectrum allocated in the US. However, UQ member KDDI is reportedly considering following in fellow CDMA operators Verizon’s footsteps in pursuing Long Term Evolution. India is another big market, having recently produced not one but two major operators pursuing large-scale broadband access plans using WiMax, one also at 2.5 GHz, the other at 3.3 GHz.

With all of the interest in 2.5 GHz, the next wave of certification will be a highly active one. The forum expects hundreds of products to be certified by the end of the year, the majority of them Wave 2, as opposed to the eight that came out of Wave 1. Most vendors opted to skip Wave 1 entirely since Samsung has a lock on the KT contract. All four vendors participating—Samsung, Posdata, Runcom and Sequans--had base stations certified. Sequans Communications won approval for a reference design built around its base-station chip, a clear indication it’s seeking OEM agreements with other manufacturers to get into the Korean WiMax business.

At the WiMax World Congress in Singapore this week, Motorola also unveiled a new compact base station, though it did not get it certified by the forum. The WAP 450 is a variant of its traditional Moto Wi4 Diversity base station, except it has a more powerful radio frequency module at the tower top. The RF module receives direct power, thus enhancing its capacity and coverage without directly boosting power consumption. Traditional ground base stations shed half of their power funneling their signals through cables to the antenna.

Motorola and UTStarcom also announced they have landed a joint contract with First International Telecom to build out a WiMax network in northern Taiwan. The deal is Motorola’s third in Taiwan in eight months.

The story of WiMAX in India

2008-04-11T09:10:00.000+08:00

Read an article on WiMAX in India in Rediff:

On March 4, India's Tata Communications, an emerging broadband player, announced the countrywide rollout of a commercial WiMax network, the largest anywhere in the world of the high-speed, wireless broadband technology.

Already 10 Indian cities and 5,000 retail and business customers use the product, and by next year Tata will offer service in 115 cities nationwide. The folks at Tata can hardly contain their excitement. "WiMax is not experimental, it's oven-hot," says Tata's Prateek Pashine, in charge of the company's broadband and retail business.

Of course WiMax is not new. Most everyone in the industry has been talking about it for years. Intel chairman Craig Barrett has been propagating its virtues in pilot projects across the world, including India and Africa.

Sprint will be rolling out a WiMax network in Washington next month, and in other US cities next year. Until now the most advanced use of WiMax has been in Japan and Korea, where Japanese carrier KDDI and Korea Telecom offer extensive WiMax networks.

However the Japanese and Korean services are not available nationwide - KDDI will have its major rollout only in 2009 - and most people use them as supplements to the wired services.

It's in emerging economies like India, where there is little connectivity and where mobile usage is soaring because of the difficulty in getting broadband wires to homes and offices, that WiMax is likely to see its full potential as a commercially viable technology.
Intel, whose silicon chips power WiMax, has been pushing for this technology for some years and its executives are practically salivating at the thought of the successful rollout in India.

"The more countries and telcos that get behind this technology the better," says R. Sivakumar, chief executive of Intel South Asia. Predicting that the new technology will make other types of Internet access obsolete, he boasts "Tata will set the cat among the pigeons."

Tata Communications has been working on setting this up for a couple of years, and successfully completed field trials last December. It has used the technology from Telsima, a Sunnyvale (Calif.) maker of WiMax base-stations and the leading WiMax tech provider in the world.

For now, the technology will be restricted to fixed wireless, but Tata plans to make it mobile by midyear. The company has invested about $100 million in the project, which will increase to $500 million over the next four years as it begins to near its goal of having 50 million subscribers in India.

The world is watching

Global tech analysts are will be watching carefully. Though WiMax is prevalent in Korea, the Korean service is a slightly different version, says Bertrand Bidaud, a communications analyst with Gartner in Singapore. It's a Korea-specific pre-WiMax technology called WiBRO.

But the Indian market is where the conditions for a WiMax deployment are the best, he says, because of limited fixed lines. That means Tata has fewer hurdles to overcome. And as WiMax scales up fast, it will give service providers greater flexibility and costs will drop equally rapidly.

"If it doesn't succeed in India, it will be difficult (for it to succeed) anywhere else, and Bharti, Tata has been virtually asleep, with a limited subscriber base for its limited product. In fact, even with as many as seven broadband providers in the market, the total Indian subscriber base is just 3.2 million and there is no clear market leader.
But with the WiMax rollout Tata can gain a leadership position and add "a few thousand subscribers a day," says Alok Sharma, chief executive of Telsima. Tata is, of course, going for the heavy-billing corporate customer - a target audience that is beginning to make big investments in technology.

Temple service via WiMax

But also important is the ordinary Indian retail customer who can watch movies via WiMax and enjoy Tata's other unique offerings. For instance, users can take in an early morning worship service at the famous Balaji temple in South India.

The temple permitted Tata to install cameras so that Hindu devotees from around the world could watch the proceedings in the temple around the clock. To get connected initially, users will simply have to go to a store, buy a router, install it, and then they become instantly connected. It will be as easy as buying apples, Tata executives promise.
The Tata rollout is a chance for India to become cutting-edge in mobile Internet services, say WiMax boosters. For India, which "always used last year's fashion to dress itself up," says Sharma, it is a chance to launch a brand new. fourth-generation technology that the world can follow. "India is becoming the knowledge centre of the world; it should take the lead in this," he adds.

There are some other bits which I got from one of VSNLs (now known as Tata Communications) presentation:

ISPs using 3.3GHz spectrum for WiMAX roll-out
At least 3 networks being built in all large towns
Best spectral efficiencies

Wireless Broadband opportunity in India bigger than:

Entire LatAm (predominantly on 3.5 GHz)
Korea (at 2.3 GHz)

Current deployments by Indian operators rival the biggest ofWiMAX deployments around the world. VSNL deploys the largest WiMAX network in a city across the world.

Soft launched on December 31, 2007 in BANGALORE:

Silicon Valley of India
8 million people and over 10000 industries
86% literacy ( national avg – at 61%) - second highest literacy rate for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai.
More than 1000 software companies - Infosys and Wipro, India's second and third largest software companies are headquartered in Bangalore
The population of the IT industry folks in Bangalore is 5% i.e 400,000.
Bangalore's per capita income of Rs. .49,000 (US$ 1,160) is the highest for any Indian city.
Launched with 132 BTS, will be adding another 28 by March 2008
3.3 Ghz, 12 Mhz, 3 Mhz/sector, 4 sectors85% of the city covered
The response has been far better than what we had anticipated
In 20 days we have installed an equivalent of 10% of the existing wireline base
Currently a huge backlog of orders to be installedCustomer experience has been fantastic
Additional BTS to ensure full coverage planned

Way forward:

Enterprise roll out into another 300 cities over the next 15 months
Retail roll out into another 15 – 20 cities over the next 15 months
Spectrum in 2.5/2.3 Ghz awaited

Entel awards WiMAX contract to Alcatel-Lucent

2008-04-11T08:52:00.000+08:00

Entel S.A., the leading telecommunications operator in Bolivia, has awarded a contract to Alcatel-Lucent to build the first commercial WiMAX network in Bolivia. In a press release today, Alcatel-Lucent said that it will provide Entel with an “end-to-end WiMAX solution, including base stations, wireless access controllers, software and application platforms.” The network will support fixed and nomadic use, and ZyXEL will supply Alcatel-Lucent with the customer premises equipment.

Beceem Introduces Single-Chip, 65 Nanometer Mobile WiMAX Chipset

2008-04-11T08:49:00.003+08:00

Beceem Communications announced the world’s first full-featured, 65 nanometer, single-chip WiMAX Wave 2 solution. The newest member in Beceem’s industry-leading product portfolio, the BCSM250 is the first to combine a Wave 2 baseband, dual-band radio, memory and power management in a single chip. Housed in an 11mm by 11mm package, this highly integrated solution reduces the power consumption by at least 30% from existing solutions while increasing peak data rates to 40 Mbps, thereby setting a number of new benchmarks for the industry. This combination of small form factor and low power consumption, coupled with Beceem’s proven mobile performance and wide-scale network interoperability finally allows WiMAX to be embedded in virtually any consumer device, thus accelerating its adoption by major carrier and device manufacturers.

“With the introduction of the BCSM250, Beceem continues to set the standard for WiMAX integration, robust performance, and power consumption,” said Shahin Hedayat, CEO and co-founder of Beceem Communications. “With this chip, supporting 40Mbps throughput and hand-off latency of less than 50 ms, the realization of truly Mobile Broadband connectivity is here for all devices ranging from small PC accessories, PC notebooks, mobile internet devices to handsets.”

The BCSM250 is Beceem’s 4th generation of WiMAX chips and the first WiMAX solution to combine a baseband processor, dual-band 2 GHz & 3 GHz radio, memory, power management unit and host interfaces based on 65 nanometer technology in a single chip. This high level of integration includes previously external components such as a USB 2.0 PHY and power management circuits which reduce the total number of components required for a complete Mobile WiMAX subsystem by up to 60 percent. In addition, Beceem has partnered with third-party Front End Module (FEM) manufacturers to further simplify the design and layout of any remaining, external RF-related components. Both these factors translate into significant total solution cost savings and enhanced manufacturability for OEM manufacturers.

In addition to system-level improvements, the BCSM250 also incorporates advances in WiMAX baseband technology. These improvements have been carefully devised as a result of more than three years of field test and actual network deployment experience on the world’s foremost mobile WiMAX networks and interoperability tests with the leading Telecom Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs). Built on top of its full Maximum Likelihood (ML) MIMO decoder, the BCSM250 baseband also incorporates other notable advances such as improved interference cancellation, advanced channel estimation and improved logarithmic likelihood-ratio (LLR) selection. All these improvements combine to provide best-in-class receiver performance of up to 40Mbps MIMO throughput and outstanding sustainable operation at negative signal to noise ratios. These innovations once again lead the industry and set the performance bar that is required for a true, mobile broadband experience.

The BCSM250 is sampling to customers now with production quantities expected to ship in the second half of 2008

Xanadoo Delivers Mobile WiMAX Service to US Cities

2008-04-11T08:49:00.001+08:00

Cisco Systems, Inc announced that Xanadoo Company has utilized Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) infrastructure to launch one of the first commercial North American mobile WiMAX broadband wireless networks. Mobile WiMAX, based on the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (IEEE 802.16e) specification, is a mobile wireless technology that will enable high-speed Internet Protocol (IP)-based services for both businesses and consumers who want to access gaming and music, stream video and transfer large files, all while on the go.

Xanadoo selected WiMAX in order to provide mobile broadband wireless access service to markets in the United States with populations of 100,000 to 1 million. The company selected Cisco after evaluating several competitive solutions. Xanadoo’s wireless networks and portable modems are enabled by a Cisco Broadband Wireless solution and are based on Cisco IP NGN architecture.

With more than 14,000 wireless broadband customers across markets in Texas, Oklahoma and Illinois, Xanadoo, one of the largest “fourth generation” (4G) wireless operators, is using the 2.5 GHz spectrum to provide consumer and small to medium-sized business (SMB) offerings in wireless high-speed Internet and related broadband services.

“When evaluating potential WiMAX solutions the choice was clear: Cisco is a global leader in mobile WiMAX broadband wireless solutions and a market leader in advanced network technologies,” said Mark Pagon, CEO of Xanadoo. “We selected Cisco because we believed that Cisco’s innovative, beam-forming technology would make it the most cost-effective, highest-performing 4G wireless technology solution. Our experience with Cisco deployments, which now provide 4G wireless broadband to approximately 1 million covered Points of Presence, has exceeded our expectations and enabled us to compete effectively against incumbent DSL and cable providers, as well as 4G wireless Internet service providers such as Clearwire.”

Xanadoo is now expanding into new markets like Springfield and Decatur, Ill. In addition, it is upgrading its service in Texas and Oklahoma with the latest Cisco mobile WiMAX technologies. To date, Xanadoo has deployed Cisco mobile WiMAX base stations and customer premise equipment (CPE) equipment in those U.S. markets.

Wireless Broadband Network

Intel Kills 2250 WiMax Chip

Saudi Mobily: $100M for Samsung WiMAX

Towards a REAL “4G” Standard

Virgin Mobile: Prepaid Data Plans

LTE & Mobile WiMAX Explained

Atlanta Gets Mobile WiMAX

Intel Research Day

Clearwire: We’re Gonna Be Big

WiMAX Open Patent Alliance

3.65GHz WiMAX Rolls Out

Zhone: Line-driven “N” MuniFi

Motorola: LTE for 700 & 2.6 GHz

Sprint: We’re the “3rd Pipe”

Battle for Britain

WiMax: East Meets West

3G iPhone Day

Computex 2008: Netbooks & WiMAX

AMD Rolls Out Mobile Platform

MXtv Makes Its Move

Broadband Wireless Saves Money: CTIA

Taipei WiMAX Expo

Canadian AWS Auction is On

The Next Big Thing: Small

Clearwire supports EC decision on WiMAX mobility

AT&T Beams Up HSUPA

3G Networks — Test Results

Train Communications 2008

France Telecom and TeliaSonera would create giant WiMAX operator

Tatung selects Alcatel-Lucent to supply WiMAX network

Camphone Compression & WiFi Mapping

Proxim APs Go High Security

WiMAX World EMEA

AT&T: We Like HSPA

WiMAX will enable mobile Web 2.0

Enforta expansion covers 55 million people

Google, Cable in $12B WiMAX Deal?

It’s Official: Sprint, Cable & Google Building WiMAX Network

It’s Official: Sprint, Cable & Google Building WiMAX Network

Intel: $500M for M-Taiwan

Qualcomm shows off MediaFLO Mobile TV

Towerstream Switches to Alvarion 3.65 GHz

3GPP Release 8 Features

WiMAX Roundup, Australia Unwired

Affordable Spectrum Analyzer

Forum Oxford Conference 2008

Mobile WiMAX Cooking- But Still in the Kitchen

More on LTE-Advanced

HSPA+ in Release-7 and Release-8

HSPA+ Features in Release 7

HSPA+ Features in Release 8

4G: War to End Wars

Motorola Mobile WiMAX in Thailand

Solectek 3.65 GHz WiMAX

Quickertek antenna promises to boost Time Capsule's range

AT&T offers **free Option GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA cards (**must sell soul)

Apple launches 802.11n Airport Express right on cue

BMW's ConnectedDrive brings the whole internet to your car... on EDGE

Sprint to launch dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices this year?

Tata rolls out "world's largest" commercial WiMAX network in India

Sierra Wireless intros Compass 597 EV-DO USB modem

802.11n AirPort Express hands-on

Intel touts long-distance WiFi for rural areas

China Mobile firing up TD-SCDMA trials this April

CEO of failed WiMAX operator calls the technology a "disaster"

Slacker Portable gets Devicescape WiFi manager

MWC: Nortel takes a closer look at EDGE

Sprint looking for WiMAX options

NextWave targets TV over WiMAX

LTE and WiMAX to share CTIA stage

CTIA: Vodafone CEO warns against 4G standard wars

First Mobile WiMAX products certified (in Korea)

The story of WiMAX in India

Entel awards WiMAX contract to Alcatel-Lucent

Beceem Introduces Single-Chip, 65 Nanometer Mobile WiMAX Chipset

Xanadoo Delivers Mobile WiMAX Service to US Cities

AT&T offers free Option GT Ultra and GT Ultra Express HSUPA cards (must sell soul)