VoIP Media Gateway targets WiMAX CPE applications

June 18, 2007 - Adapted for Intel® WiMAX Connection 2250 chipset, VoIPerfect(TM) enables service providers and OEMs/ODMs to develop and deploy VoIP services over WiMAX networks. It includes DSP firmware, media processing VoicePacketizer(TM) stack, SIP stack, and call control layer for complete SIP VoIP application. Solution also provides variety of vocoders such as G.711, G.726, G.729, G.723.1, and iLBC, as well as wideband vocoders for HD voice quality.

Linksys tipped to enter WiMAX CPE market

Among all the claims and counter claims of the WiMAX and 3G/HSPA camps is the claim that, thanks to higher volumes, HSPA user devices will be much cheaper. The WiMAX camp argues otherwise, and the entry of a very large player like Linksys in the home/SOHO networking market would certainly drive prices down.

Very firmly in the 3G corner in this debate is Ericsson and putting the case to me some weeks ago (before the Government's 'Australia Connected' announcement) was Mikael Halen, director government and strategy with Ericsson in Sweden. Citing Ericsson and Gartner research he projected the number of 3G devices and mobile WiMAX devices out to 2011: 3G WCDMA devices were in the billions, WiMAX a barely perceptible sliver on a graph.

Such a comparison is not necessarily very meaningful: the great majority of those 3GPP devices will be cellphones and their volumes may not necessarily help that much to bring down the price of more specialised data comms devices. More specifically, Ericsson is forecasting 600 million mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide by 2010, of which HSPA will account for 71 percent and mobile WiMAX a mere 2.5 percent.

However, WiMAX advocates like Nortel's Rob Inshaw point to the players developing mobile WiMAX CPE, note that these are the same as those who drove down the price of WiFi CPE and predict a similar downward path for WiMAX CPE.

According to Inshaw "The companies that are building these mobile wiMax devices they are same companies that commoditised WiFi. These are the same companies that probably build you laptop your TV your PDA. They may only be companies of five thousand people but behind them are companies in China and Taiwan employing 36,000 people, very vertically integrated and focussing on driving down costs. There is no doubt in my mind that WiMAX is on the same cost curve as WiFi."

He notes that WiFi devices are way cheaper than 3G devices, and claims that even now WiMAX devices are showing signs of being cheaper than HSPA equivalents "Operators are wanting to put datacentric 3g devices into a house as a broadband device and the cost points they were talking about are $US450. Today we can access devices that are sub $US200.

Sprint bets billions on WiMAX

By DAVID HO
CHICAGO — A wireless technology that could change the way people use the Internet on the go and spawn a new generation of mobile gadgets is months away from a large-scale debut here.
The rollout is at the forefront of Sprint Nextel Corp.'s $3 billion bet on WiMax, a technology often called "Wi-Fi on steroids."
Long touted as the future of wireless Web access but experienced so far by few consumers, WiMax offers speeds similar to those of cable modems or digital subscriber lines, with a range much greater than Wi-Fi.
The mobile version of WiMax embraced by Sprint would let users enjoy that speed even while in a moving car.

Sprint's nationwide plan adds a new and potentially disruptive player to the field of wide-range wireless Internet services. Those include third generation, or "3G," cellular access from wireless carriers and planned city networks that use the Wi-Fi technology found in many homes and shops.

WiMax is a gamble for Sprint — the No. 3 carrier that lately has lost cellphone customers to rivals Verizon and AT&T — because building a business around the technology is unproven on such a large scale.
"We are out there on our own, and a lot of people are waiting to see what happens," Barry West, Sprint's chief technology officer, said in an interview.

"It's just a killer business model. No one can see it because no one has one," he said at a recent industry event in Chicago. "We see it as a growth engine for our company for years to come."
Sprint plans WiMax test launches in December in Chicago, Washington and Baltimore, followed by commercial availability in those markets in April. The company intends to offer WiMax coverage reaching 100 million people by the end of 2008 in cities including Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Austin, Texas.

West said download speeds would be 3 to 4 megabits per second and uploads about half that. Subscription prices for the WiMax service have not been announced, but West said they would be competitive with cable and DSL.

"It's a risk for Sprint," said Charles Golvin, a Forrester Research analyst. He said the company is departing from established cellular business models, trying to "think differently and offer a different range of services."
Golvin said wireless industry investments in data and media offerings have not paid off well so far, but that the enthusiasm for Apple's iPhone shows an appetite among consumers for a better mobile Internet experience.
"What Sprint is embracing and going after is the idea of the 'real Internet' on mobile devices on the go," he said. "They are investing significantly because they are counting on a nontrivial payoff."

Consumers will initially need special laptop cards to access the new service, but many computers and gadgets are expected to have embedded WiMax technology by the time Sprint's networks are widely available.

"2008 is really being billed as the WiMax year," said Julie Coppernoll, director of WiMax marketing for Intel Corp., a leading backer of the technology.
She said laptops with WiMax receivers will come first, and then an emerging category of "mobile Internet devices" that offer the features of homebound Web access on the go.

She said WiMax also opens the door for a variety of gadgets that have never been connected to the Internet or each other.
West and others cited the example of digital cameras with built-in WiMax that can immediately transmit new photos to Web sites or a backup location.

Around the world, flavors of WiMax deliver Internet access to rural or developing areas where it is too expensive or difficult to build wired networks.

In the United States, customers of Clearwire Corp. in 13 states experience a "fixed" version of WiMax that brings wireless Internet service at DSL speeds to homes and businesses. Clearwire also is developing its own mobile WiMax effort.
While the United States tends to lag Asia and Europe in wireless technology, Sprint's plan to create the largest mobile WiMax network is drawing worldwide attention.
In Chicago, Sprint partner Motorola Inc. plans to install WiMax equipment on Sprint's existing cellular broadcast sites, said Fred Wright, manager of the equipment maker's networks and products business.

By year's end, 150 such sites should broadcast WiMax signals covering downtown Chicago and some suburban areas. Later, about 1,000 sites would cover millions of residents in a broad area across and around the city.

While Sprint plans to offer download speeds of about 4 megabits per second, the technology could provide much faster access by packing WiMax sites more densely, Wright said.

Sprint's deployment is getting under way even as Chicago is mulling which company might build a municipal Wi-Fi network to blanket its 160 square miles and offer inexpensive or free access.

Potential builders of this vast network include AT&T and Atlanta-based EarthLink.
"If you really want to know how this all comes down in the next few years in terms of Wi-Fi and WiMax, Chicago is the city to watch," said Greg Richardson, founder of Civitium LLC, an Atlanta area firm that consults with cities on municipal Wi-Fi projects.

Say 'Privet' To WiMax In Russia

The first regional mobile WiMax networks are coming to Russia, said Alcatel-Lucent on Thursday, the vendor that will supply WiMax equipment there.
Synterra, a Russian telecom service provider, chose Alcatel-Lucent to build a mobile WiMax infrastructure that will cover several towns and cities with an average population of 100,000 people.
The initial regional WiMax networks are expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of this year. Synterra said it intends to partner with other providers to cover more than 1,000 Russian cities and towns by the end of next year. Synterra is planning to provide coverage nationwide over an integrated system.
Alcatel-Lucent's Universal WiMax equipment is based on the 802.16e standard for mobile WiMax, which, similar to cellular networks, allows people to access the Internet on their mobile devices when they're in parks or riding in public transportation. Mobile WiMax, however, promises much faster data speeds and broader coverage than cellular.
The equipment includes base stations, wireless access controllers, and software for day-to-day management of the network. Alcatel-Lucent, which has 70 other WiMax trials and deployments under way worldwide, declined to share specific volumes of equipment supplied, but said the plans involve the intent to provide coverage in some of Russia's largest cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Residents in regions covered by the mobile WiMax network will get services such as voice over IP, mobile data, video streaming, and virtual private network access.
Aperto Networks, another equipment maker, last year launched a WiMax trial in Russia using its PacketMax products, which include base stations for service providers and customer premises equipment that sits at a user's home or office. But the equipment is based on the 802.16d standard for fixed WiMax, which requires users to keep their laptops close to their wireless routers.
The deployments speak to different technologies and service provider business models, said Alcatel-Lucent's spokesman.

WiMAX Forum to open US certification lab, plans five by year end

The WiMAX Forum, the industry body that certifies WiMAX equipment for interoperability, has announced the opening of its first test lab in North America saying it hopes to have five around the world by the end of 2007.

he lab will be operated by the WiMAX Forum's lead certification testing partner, AT4 wireless (formerly Cetecom Spain) in Virginia and is due to open this October. "A US-based lab is important to help meet the needs of member companies as the demand for mobile certification testing increases in the US market," said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum.

"Establishing a WiMAX Forum designated test facility in North America is very important strategically because the WiMAX Forum and key telecommunications industry forums are located in the US" said Luis Fernando Martinez, general director of AT4 wireless. "We plan to quickly open a lab in the United States to support global certification testing for both fixed and mobile WiMAX devices."

The WiMAX Forum designated Cetecom as its lead certification partner in January 2005 saying it had been chosen after "a rigorous 12-month review process" for its "extensive range of testing and compliance services, which includes experience in wireless technologies such as GSM/GPRS, EDGE, W-CDMA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth". The Forum noted at the time that Cetecom had affiliate regional labs that would be able to offer WiMAX testing: in Milpitas, California, Taipei, Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo.

The new Virginia lab will initially be staffed by up to 25 - 30 employees and will conduct WiMAX Forum certification testing and radiated performance testing. AT4 wireless has the responsibility to develop and replicate the certification test beds to match other test beds globally so that interoperability for all WiMAX Forum Certified devices is assured. In the future it may also provide capabilities to support the convergence of emerging wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi with WiMAX and Bluetooth with WiMAX.

The WiMAX Forum says it plans to have five certification test labs located in the US Europe, China, Korea and Taiwan by end of 2007. In February 2006, Korea's Telecommunications Technology Association's IT Testing & Certification Lab in Seoul became the first WiMAX lab in Asia. Since then it the Forum has appointed the China Academy of Telecommunication Research in Beijing as a certification lab.

The WiMAX Forum's web site lists a total of 28 products presently certified, all 802.16d. Alvarion is one of very few companies to have multiple base station and CPE products certified. According to a 'fact sheet' on the Opel Networks proposal, Opel has identified the world-leading WiMAX vendor, Alvarion, as its provider of choice."

Alvarion scores 'first' Australian WiMAX network

Alvarion claims it will be the first WiMAX deployment in Australia and will enable "thousands of businesses in the outer metro and growth corridors across Queensland...to benefit from access to a high-speed network providing converged voice and data services."

Allegro chairman and former Telstra senior executive, Ted Pretty, said: "Businesses in regional Australia cannot afford to wait any longer to receive advanced broadband services. Alvarion was the one company able to meet our deadlines for true WiMAX infrastructure while maintaining the required quality of service (QoS). Furthermore, Alvarion's WiMAX leadership and knowledge were clearly evidenced by the commercial trials we held with several top tier vendors over the past four months."

No launch date was given, but in earlier announcements, Allegro has said it hopes to have the network operational by early 2008.

According to a 'fact sheet' on the Opel Networks proposal, issued by communications minister, Helen Coonan, "Opel has identified the world-leading WiMAX vendor, Alvarion, as its provider of choice." However Opel has not confirmed this.

Allegro joint managing director, David Waldie said: "We are impressed with the performance of Alvarion's solution. It enables us to deliver up to 12Mbps throughput at 20km, and as the standard evolves, speed is expected to increase markedly. We are excited about the opportunities Alvarion's ecosystem can offer us."

However the evolution of the standard referred to is mobile WiMAX: a distinct and different technology. An Alvarion spokeswoman told iTWire ' We have a very clear upgrade path from fixed to mobile WiMAX. In a nutshell, the migration path is, in most cases, software only for the base station. The CPE products we sell at the moment are software upgradeable to work with future systems. However, our current CPEs are self installed devices for fixed and nomadic applications – they are designed to be located on the desk – so they are not designed to be mobile devices."

Allegro presently operates a wireless network covering around 800 sq kms in Queensland's South East corner. For its WiMAX network it is planning to use licensed 3.4GHz spectrum covering Brisbane and South East Queensland's growth corridors which it acquired in September 2006 at a cost of more than $1 million.

In December 2006, the Council of Mayors of South East Queensland named Allegro as the sole provider of wireless infrastructure for its ConnectSEQ project.s. The Council of Mayors is seeking around $100 million of funding for ConnectSEQ under the Helen Coonan's $1.1 billion Connect Australia project.