WiMAX antennas and legacy cellular networks

There is interesting potential for interoperability of WiMAX equipment with legacy cellular networks. WiMAX antennas can "share" a cell tower without compromising the function of cellular arrays already in place. Companies that already lease cell sites in widespread service areas have a unique opportunity to diversify, and often already have the necessary spectrum available to them. They own the licenses for radio frequencies important to increased speed an/or range of WiMAX connection.
WiMax it's going to have a far bigger impact long term than we have seen from cellular phones in the past 15 years. Most of the other hot technologies, Video Over Internet, Voice Over Internet and others require high-speed access. The WiMAX equipment can offer that high-speed access at reasonable price. I think , in the next ten years those who control the WiMax highways will become the next giants of our industry.

Telmex begins WiMAX deployment

Telmex has announced that it has begun deployment of a WiMAX network and equipment in Chile with an initial investment of USD15 million. Telmex won the right to operate the WiMAX network in December 2005 but the project was delayed because of a legal dispute with fixed line incumbent Telefonica Chile. ‘Today Telmex has begun the launch of what will be Chile's most modern wireless network, which in less than a year will be capable of covering 90% of the districts of Chile, which means 98% of the population,’ said Eduardo Diaz, Telmex's chief executive in Chile. The company, owned by Mexican magnate Carlos Slim, has already begun installing WiMAX equipment and transmission antennas aacross the country, each with a range of around 32 miles.

WiMAX,Wi-Fi More Energy-Efficient Than Cellular For Mobile Broadband

Stuart Carlaw, director of wireless research at ABI Research, says that, "From a pure coverage perspective, WiMAX is twice as energy cost-effective and metro Wi-Fi is 50 times more energy-cost-effective than WCDMA. When data traffic is factored into the equation, WiMAX can accommodate 11 times today's average data consumption and still be more energy-cost-efficient compared to WCDMA or HSDPA."

Mobile WiMAX equipment by Samsung in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., signed a contract to deploy the largest Mobile WiMAX network in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the agreement, Samsung will supply Mobile WiMAX equipment and devices to Bayanat Al-Oula over a two year period beginning in 2007. This partnership will result in the largest Mobile WiMAX deployment in the Middle East region. Samsung is now supplying equipment for trials and commercialization in Europe (Italy), Asia (Japan), North America (the U.S.), and South America (Venezuela and Brazil). Mobile WiMAX will soon be available in Saudi Arabia in 2007.

Fujitsu Features WiMAX SoC

Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. (FMA), will show innovative fixed wireless systems from its customer Solectek, based on the Fujitsu WiMAX SoC. For fixed applications, the Fujitsu WiMAX SoC MB87M3550 supports channel bandwidths from 1.75MHz to 20MHz, and can operate in either TDD or FDD mode. When using 64QAM modulation in a 20MHz channel and with all 192 sub-carriers supported, the SoC data rate can reach up to 75mbps.Also Ray Abrishami, senior director and head of FMA’s Wireless Products Group, will speak on the panel, "WiMAX Service Provider Deployments Using Both IEEE 802.16d and IEEE 802.16e Equipment." The panel will take place on Tuesday, January 16, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. George Wu, director of marketing at FMA, predicted that the WiMax chips would benefit millions of underserved subscribers in North and South America, as well as markets where Fujitsu partners deliver WiMax equipment , service and support.

WiMAX 802.16e equipment from Navini in Bulgaria

Max Telecom Selects Navini For Nationwide WiMAX Network in Bulgaria
Mobile WiMAX 802.16e to cover 7.5 million in 2007
RICHARDSON, Texas and SOFIA, Bulgaria, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Max Telecom, Bulgaria's telecommunications operator with licenses for a nationwide WiMAX network, will be using mobile WiMAX 802.16e equipment from Navini Networks, the global leader(1) in providing plug-n-play personal broadband wireless access solutions with the most experience in commercial deployments.
Max Telecom will launch service in the capital -- Sofia -- with plans to expand nationwide in Bulgaria during 2007. They will be using WiMAX to provide both business and residential services, offering enabling services such as VOIP, DSL equivalent, and VPNs (both voice and data) and video connectivity for applications such as surveillance.
"We selected Navini due to their experience, customer base and proven technology," said Krassimir Stoitcheff, CEO, Max Telecom. "We conducted a live field trial of multiple vendors technology including some of the bigger names, as a part of our evaluation process and were impressed by the performance advantages of Navini's Smart beamforming technology."
"Max Telecom is bringing mobile WiMAX 802.16e to Eastern Europe in a big way," said Roger Dorf, Navini's president and CEO. "We are delighted to have been selected, especially considering the competition."
"Bulgaria's 7.5 million people represent an immense opportunity for portable high speed wireless internet," added Stoitcheff. "Rather than event- driven pricing, we plan to offer fixed price data subscriptions with VOIP bundled. Once consumers in Bulgaria experience personal broadband, it will change their lifestyles, their behaviors."
The deployment features Navini's Ripwave(TM) MX8 platform, which will be certified for 802.16e mobile WiMAX with Navini's Smart WiMAX(TM) solution. Smart WiMAX(TM) combines the Smart Beamforming technology currently in commercial service around the world, with beamformed MIMO, which can double the data throughput for WiMAX subscribers.
About Max Telecom:
Max Telecom is a new generation telecommunication company, deploying nation-wide network moving towards mobile WiMAX technology. Max Telecom provides full range of fast, high quality, reliable and cost effective telecommunication products and services, mobile or fixed - Internet access, VPNs, VOIP, video and IPTV. The ambition is to develop a competitive service offering, providing customers high quality, up-to-date services making use of the latest in New Generation Network technology coupled to an advanced billing system (both post and pre pay), and a state-of-the art call centre.

SAMSUNG Reveals the Latest in Mobile Convergence Devices Ready for Mobile WiMAX Technology

Seoul , Korea – November 7th, 2006 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in telecommunication network systems and handsets, unveiled the latest in mobile convergence device, the SPH-P9000 Deluxe MITs at Mobile WiMAX Summit 2006. The SPH-P9000 is the true convergence device capable of voice and multimedia data communications through Mobile WiMAX technology.
The SPH-P9000 is the ideal companion for users to usher in the new era of mobile convergence technology. The expected growth of Mobile WiMAX services will result in an increasing demand for multi-functional devices. The SPH-P9000 is a PDA-based device utilizing Mobile WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO connectivity. Users will have wireless access to the Internet utilizing Mobile WiMAX connectivity. Simultaneously, the CDMA EV-DO technology provides mobile phone connection for voice communication. With Microsoft Windows XP as the operating system, users will find the contents and applications familiar and easy to use for work and play.
The SPH-P9000 comes with a QWERTY keyboard for painless typing and internet surfing, while the MP3 player function, VOD, and camera function provide a quick access to multimedia entertainment. The five inch WVGA screen is prepared for movie and document viewing, while the 30GB hard drive stores music, movies, and documents. All of these unique features are combined into one device that weighs in at a little over one pound. The SPH-P9000 is truly a unique and versatile mobile device.
Kitae Lee, President of the Telecommunication Network Business at Samsung Electronics, says “Our new SPH-P9000 is just one of the few Mobile WiMAX convergence devices to be introduced to the world. Samsung will expand our portfolio of mobile convergence devices, as we expect to expand our global Mobile WiMAX services globally.“ He adds, “Samsung will continuously drive the market with pioneering telecommunication technology and services. Samsung will meet the demands of Mobile WiMAX services and convergence devices by delivering the right combination of technology and design,”
The SPH-P9000 will be launched in Korea first half of 2007.

What companies are involved with WiMAX equipment?

As of last count, the WiMAX Forum membership counted 426 companies with many other firms evaluating the WiMAX technology as a possible fit for their business and technical models.

WiMAX and WiMAX equipment pluses

The WiMax standard combines the broadband and wireless, delivering high-speed broadband Internet access over a wireless connection. It can be used over relatively long distances. WiMax delivers a point-to-multipoint architecture, making it an ideal method for carriers to deliver broadband to locations where wired connections would be difficult or costly. WiMAX is an easy solution for the so-called "last mile" of broadband , which is the most expensive. WiMAX offers a greater range. Also WiMAX equipment is more bandwidth-efficient. It provides a shared data rate of up to 70Mbps. WiMAX equpment uses a microwave link to establish a connection. It requires a tower, similar to a cell phone tower, which is connected to the Internet using a standard wired high-speed connection. Wimax Equipment can be installed in a couple days, saving significant amounts of manpower.

WiMAX? What is WiMAX ?

WiMAX is defined as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access by the WiMAX Forum, formed in June 2001 to promote conformance and interoperability of the IEEE 802.16 standard, officially known as WirelessMAN. The Forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL". WiMAX is not a technology, but rather a certification mark, or 'stamp of approval' given to equipment that meets certain conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 family of standards. A similar confusion surrounds the term Wi-Fi, which like WiMAX, is a certification mark for equipment based on a different set of IEEE standards from the 802.11 working group for wireless local area networks (WLAN). Neither WiMAX, nor Wi-Fi is a technology but their names have been adopted in popular usage to denote the technologies behind them. This is likely due to the difficulty of using terms like 'IEEE 802.16' in common speech and writing.