WiMAX Forecast: The Next Iridium?

Pipex Plans WiMAX Rollout

By Teresa von Fuchs
WirelessWeek - April 18, 2007
British ISP Pipex Communications announced plans to roll out wireless broadband connections in 50 towns and cities by 2009, starting with Manchester later this year. The news came with its 2006 earnings announcement yesterday, as the service provider tried to quell speculation about its future after potential bidders for the company were reported to have withdrawn from the review process.

So far, Pipex has conducted small-scale WiMAX tests involving several hundred users in a joint venture with Intel. "Following further trials being conducted in Warwick, we look forward to the first full-scale roll-out of these services in Manchester in the fourth quarter," said Peter Dubens, executive chairman of Pipex in the earnings report. The Manchester venture would be a huge step forward, with more than 2.2 million people in the city's greater metropolitan area. The company has not released any more specific details about the rollout.

Yankee Group Assesses WiMAX Market in China

Yankee Group has announced at WiMAX World Asia that the Chinese WiMAX market will reach 8.39 million users in 2011, almost seven times the 1.25 million users forecast for 2009 (the first year of significant WiMAX development in China). Of the 8.39 million users in 2011, nomadic and portable broadband access users will lead the Chinese market, accounting for 46 percent of the market in 2011. Mobile broadband and low-cost fixed wireless access services will come in second and third, accounting for 43 percent and 11 percent of the market, respectively.

According to the joint research report by Yankee Group and its China-based partner, Analysys International, "WiMAX in China: 2007 to 2011 Outlook and Forecast," if the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) does not embrace WiMAX and create a mobile WiMAX policy soon, the Chinese market will miss the mobile WiMAX opportunity. If this were to happen, Yankee Group and Analysys International believe it will have significant implications for Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE, which are among the front-runners in mobile WiMAX development in China. MII has yet to allocate mobile spectrum, which signals to the industry that MII has not committed to mobile WiMAX development in China. The key for MII to accelerate mobile WiMAX policy development is to demonstrate to local governments how Chinese companies can benefit from mobile WiMAX.

"Embracing connectivity solutions and standards such as mobile WiMAX in emerging markets like China is critical to competing in the continuously evolving global communications industry," said XJ Wang, Vice President, Yankee Group Asia-Pacific Research. "Without China's participation, the global WiMAX ecosystem will not be complete."

Although the big four in China—China Netcom, China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom—are not rushing WiMAX deployment, Yankee Group and Analysys International find that the smaller players and other municipal WiMAX providers are pushing for an aggressive WiMAX strategy in China despite their financial challenges. Considering the important roles of these smaller players, we recommend that key members of the WiMAX Forum invest in WiMAX deployment in China.

Atmel announces WiMax transceiver with low RF cost

San Jose, Calif. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the second of its MAX-Link(TM) series of transceivers designed specifically for WiMAX applications. Along with enhanced WiMAX system functionality, the AT86RF535B enables one of the lowest component costs of any RF reference design on the market today.

This frequency-agile, single-chip transceiver operates at 3.5 GHz with multiple bandwidth options addressing the requirements of WiMAX base stations and subscriber equipment. Internal configuration and control registers can be programmed to integrate with new and existing baseband devices from different vendors.

All of the MAX-Link transceivers provide excellent RF performance with low current consumption, low cost, and only a minimum of external components for the RF design.

On-chip integration techniques combine a low-noise amplifier, power amplifier driver, receive/transmit mixer, receive/transmit filters, voltage-controlled oscillator, synthesizer, receive gain control, and transmit power control all completely digitally controlled. The fully differential design of the transceiver can be configured for either low-IF or zero-IF applications and requires no external filters.

The RF reference design incorporates power efficiency circuitry and antenna diversity all in a footprint of 40 mm x 35 mm on a 4-layer PCB with components on one side only.

The AT86RF535B uses a proprietary internal calibration algorithm decreasing product cost and improving manufacturability. The calibration routine is performed between transmit and receive data frames, totally independent from the baseband and MAC processor, to optimize the image and local oscillator (LO) leakage performance characteristics.

The fractional-N synthesizer in the AT86RF535B utilizes a unique phase interpolation divider (PID) rather than the more conventional modulus divider architecture. The PID allows for very good frequency resolution and fast tuning speed. The calibrated VCO can be tuned in less than 10 us to support 100 MHz HFDD operations. The synthesizer has the speed and power advantages of an asynchronous divider and is fully programmable within the frequency range of the radio.

Atmel has been working with HULU, a leading OEM/ODM of WiMAX mass-market subscriber units. HULU has included Atmel's transceiver in its interoperability studies with great success.

"HULU has chosen the Atmel transceiver due to several technical reasons," said Maurizio Hublitz, CTO, HULU AB. "The AT86RF535B has the lowest power consumption on the market. This is very important to us as we are developing nomadic OFDM equipment. The Atmel device is technologically sound. We have tested the complete radio in the smallest form-factor using several different base stations and we are very pleased with its performance and cost effectiveness."

Vice President and General Manager of Atmel's RF and automotive business unit, Bob McConnell, commented, "Atmel's proprietary SiGe BiCMOS process technology provides our designers with the capability to build a better WiMAX radio. You can see the results in the 535."

Availability and Pricing

The AT86RF535B is available now. Pricing starts at US$14.95 in quantities of 10K. Modules incorporating the AT86RF535B transceiver, baseband, and MAC are included in the roadmap.
For more information please send your request to: wimax@atmel.com.

Footnote:
HFDD = Hybrid Frequency Division Duplexing
OFDM = Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
IF = Intermediate Frequency
MAC = Media Access Control
Rx = Receive
Tx = Transmit
VCO = Voltage Control Oscillator

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions.

Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere You Are(R).

About Hulu AB

Founded in 2004, HULU is a world leader in the supply of WiMAX mass-market products for desktop, workstation and notebook PCs; digital televisions and VoIP phones. A pioneer, innovator and market leader in the WiMAX industry, HULU is built upon the strength of its people, products and technology excellence. HULU's appointed customer focus is ability to identify and capitalize on key inflection points where new technologies and markets converge.

(C) 2007 Atmel Corporation. All rights reserved. Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof, Everywhere You Are(R) and others are registered trademarks, MAX-Link(TM), and others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation. Other terms and product names may be the trademarks of others.

US Consumers Favor WiMax Over Cellular Data Or Wi-Fi

In a head-to-head comparison survey, US consumer survey preferred preference for WiMAX over cellular data and Wi-Fi services.

The survey was carried out by market research company In-Stat. A group of 1,200 respondents were asked a series of questions about their interest in various wireless broadband services, with each service description based on what is currently or will soon be available per technology.

“While much of the WiMAX industry’s focus has been on ultra mobile devices, which still remains a few years away, these findings show there are real opportunities for WiMAX based on what it can deliver today ” said Daryl Schoolar, an analyst with In-Stat.

Over 50% of respondents said they would change their current home broadband provider for one that bundles wireless with a home broadband service.

In-Stat predicts WiMAX’s ability to support nomadic services with laptop cards and USB devices will become a reality this year. "Combining that nomadic ability, with its fixed capabilities will give WiMAX service providers a way to differentiate their broadband services from what is currently available", added Schoolar.

Intel, Alvarion collaborate for 802.16e-based Mobile WiMAX

Alvarion, a provider of WiMAX and wireless broadband solutions, has announced that Mobile WiMAX services based on Alvarion’s 4Motion solution will be showcased at Intel’s Developer’s Forum in Beijing.

The two companies are also cooperating on WiMAX interoperability testing for mobile WiMAX with Alvarion’s 16e-based radio access network (RAN).

Alvarion’s OPENTM WiMAX 4Motion solution using MIMO Matrix B technology is expected to almost double the bandwidth capacity, reducing wireless infrastructure expenditures for operators.

MIMO Matrix B is a key feature in the WiMAX ForumTM Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 specifications and essential for supporting video and other bandwidth demanding applications.

Designed as open, standard, and interoperable, OPEN WiMAX is a complete ecosystem that encompasses network equipment, consumer electronics, service offerings, and even the end-users’ experience.

Giant Wi-Fi and WiMax network in time for 2008 Olympics

China's capital city of Beijing will roll out an extensive wireless internet network in time for the 2008 Olympic games, a government technology official has revealed.
More than 9,000 wireless local area network nodes will be set up, backed by 150 WiMax base stations, Xie told reporters in Japan. The system will rely on China's new TD-SCDMA 3G mobile technology for low speed data links.
There are currently 15 WiMax base stations in Beijing, according to the China Internet Research Center.
The capital also hosts various subscription Wi-Fi networks and some free Wi-Fi hotspots, although coverage is patchy. The government has not yet revealed details of pricing for the planned Olympic wireless data networks.

Intel Keeps mobile engine humming fueled by silicon technology advances

Innovation, Processing Performance and Cooperation Key to Moving Forward Faster
18 Apr 2007 , Beijing : Describing the latest trends in mobile computing at the Intel Developer Forum today, Intel Corporation executives said that personalization and content are key drivers behind increased demand for notebook PCs and mobile Internet devices (MIDs).
"The Internet is one of the driving forces in today's PC market and there is a desire for the Internet to be mobile," said David (Dadi) Perlmutter, Intel senior vice president and general manager, Mobility Group. "Intel is serving the market today with notebook PCs, and will expand its reach by adding WiMax to notebooks as well as small form factor MIDs in 2008."
Perlmutter continued by discussing the importance of high-performance processors to enable users to have mobile access to the internet. Intel continues to provide high-performance processors based on innovative silicon technology that delivers energy efficiency and great battery life needed by users on-the-go including the next generation Centrino processor technology "Santa Rosa."
Due in May, Santa Rosa processor technology is comprised of a next-generation Intel® Core™2 Duo processor, the Mobile Intel® 965 Express chipset family, Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N Network Connection, Intel® 82566MM and 82566MC Gigabit Network Connection, and optional Intel® Turbo memory. Perlmutter demonstrated how Intel Turbo Memory decreases resume time from notebook hibernation, thus increasing productivity and reducing system power consumption.
In the first half of 2008, Santa Rosa will be refreshed with Intel's innovative 45nm Hi-k dual core mobile processor, codenamed "Penryn." Later in 2008, Perlmutter said Intel will deliver "Montevina" processor technology, also with Penryn, for greater performance and energy efficiency. With approximately 40 percent smaller components, Montevina will be ideal for mini- and sub-notebooks, and will include integrated hardware decode for high-definition video.
For the first time, Intel will make its integrated Wi-Fi/WiMAX solution available as an option with Montevina-based notebooks, enabling people to connect to Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks worldwide. Mobile WiMAX provides multi-megabit speed, greater throughput and wider range versus other wireless broadband technologies, which is crucial as consumers increasingly want to access user-generated content, high-definition videos, music, photos and other large data files while on the go.
Redefining Mobility with Innovation, Integration
Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group, described the evolution of the personal mobile Internet, outlined changes in Intel's silicon roadmap that will create radical reductions in power requirements and innovative new packaging technology, and disclosed a range of leading industry players Intel is working with to establish the MID and ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) categories.
Chandrasekher introduced the Intel® Ultra Mobile platform 2007 (formerly codenamed "McCaslin") for MIDs and UMPCs and said systems will be available over the summer from Aigo*, Asus*, Fujitsu*, Haier*, HTC* and Samsung*. The Intel Ultra Mobile platform 2007 is based on the Intel processor A100 and A110, the Intel 945GU Express Chipset and the Intel ICH7U I/O Controller Hub.
"Today's environment is primed for a truly personal, mobile Internet experience and the Intel Ultra Mobile platform 2007 combines the flexibility of a PC with the mobility of a handheld device," said Chandrasekher. "But we will not stop here. In 2008, Intel will deliver an entirely new platform based on Intel’s 45nm low-power microarchitecture designed from the ground up to let people to carry their personal mobile Internet in their pocket."
Pulling in the schedule by half a year, Chandrasekher said Intel will deliver its next-generation platform for MIDs and UMPCs – codenamed "Menlow" – in the first half of 2008. While demonstrating the world's first working Menlow-based prototype, he said it will be based on a new 45nm Hi-k low power microarchitecture-based processor, codenamed "Silverthorne," and next-generation chipset, codenamed "Poulsbo."
Chandrasekher also announced the formation of the Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance. Together, alliance members will work on engineering challenges, including power management, wireless communications, and software integration, that are associated with delivering the full Internet in ever-smaller MID form factors.
45nm High-k Metal Gate Transistors Technology Leadership
Intel's next-generation processors for the ultra-mobile, mobile, desktop, workstation and server segments will be based on the company's leading 45nm silicon process technology that uses its revolutionary high-k metal gate transistors.
During his Technology Insight presentation, Intel Senior Fellow Mark Bohr said the company now has working versions of its Silverthorne processor based on its 45nm Hi-k low power microarchitecture for MIDs and UMPCs. Silverthorne joins already working versions of its 45nm Hi-k Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Intel Xeon family of processors. Today, Intel has more than 15 different 45nm Hi-k product designs in various stages of development, and will have two 45nm manufacturing fabs in production by the end of the year, with four in production by the second half of 2008.
Intel's long-standing research and technology pipeline has led to innovative advances in silicon technology that in turn allow the company to continuously deliver the cost and performance benefits of Moore's Law. In 2003, Intel was the first to introduce strained silicon technology to greatly increase the speed of its transistors on its 90nm process.
Intel is already working on technology for 32nm, 22nm and beyond. Bohr described several options that Intel is researching for future technology generations, including tri-gate transistors, Indium Antimonide quantum well transistors and carbon nanotube interconnects.

Intel is installing WiMAX equipment at two hospitals

Intel is installing state-of-the-art wireless networks to accelerate the use of technology and high-speed computer connections to access the vast knowledge resources of the Internet. WiMAX systems are getting deployed at two hospitals, one school and two community centers in Burj Al Barajneh, Nabatiyeh, and Beirut. The longer-range wireless technology is considered a more efficient way to bring connectivity to rugged and remote areas less suited for installing cable or phone wires.