Comprehensive Analysis of the Capital and Operational Expenses for Deploying a WiMAX Network

WiMAX 20|20, LLC , a leader in WiMAX broadband wireless consulting, today announced availability of its new WiROI Business Case Tool, offering network operators and equipment manufacturers a comprehensive analysis of the capital and operational expenses for deploying a WiMAX network. Developed through extensive industry experience with actual network deployments, the WiROI Tool has the flexibility to model a variety of deployment plans and service models. The new WiROI tool is currently in use by Southam Chile and Sun Microsystems, among others.

The WiROI Tool can produce real-time sensitivity analyses based on certain input parameters for a particular deployment. The WiROI dashboard-style GUI incorporates animated selectors, sliders and buttons, allowing the user to vary key input parameters and visualize the output immediately in a variety of animated financial output charts. Network Operators and Equipment Manufacturers can quickly and easily visualize and understand the critical issues that could affect their deployment or development plans. The tool includes the ability to estimate the number of cell sites and various options for selecting the WiMAX network infrastructure required to support specific coverage and capacity requirements. The user can select from a variety of core networks, access networks, base stations and backhaul options. WiROI provides answers to a variety of "what if" scenarios to help identify the most important variables influencing specific WiMAX business plans. In conjunction with consulting services from WiMAX 20|20, the WiROI Business Case Analysis Tool can be a critical component for an operator planning a network deployment, or an investor interested in evaluating a network investment.

Muni WiFi Collapse a Boon for WiMAX

by Cassimir Medford

The apparent collapse of municipally-supported plans to build WiFi networks in several U.S. cities has backers of rival technologies breathing sighs of relief.

The prospect of having municipal governments as competitors in the most lucrative urban markets could significantly reduce demand for commercial wireless data services based on rival technologies such as WiMAX and EV-DO, said Joe Nordgaard, director of wireless consulting firm Spectral Advantage.

“Private enterprise cannot muster the same kind of financial resources and forgo losses like the government can,” he said. “Muni WiFi undermined private enterprise and I am sure there are a lot of people involved with WiMAX, EV-DO, etcetera, who are happy to see it go,” he said.

One such person is Eran Ershed co-founder and VP of marketing for WiMAX chip-maker Altair Semiconductor.

“This may be bad news for the companies that supply mesh WiFi equipment to municipalities, but for most others competing with the government is not a great proposition,” he said. “The government has different ROI goals.”

WiFi is one of several wireless technologies capable of carry high-speed data. Rivals include so-called EDGE technology, a long-range cellular data service being rolled out by AT&T and T-Mobile, and similar service known as EV-DO that is backed by Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and Alltel. WiMAX is an emerging very-long-range wireless broadband service being built by Clearwire and Sprint.

Atlanta-based Internet service provider EarthLink last week pulled back from plans to build, manage, and maintain mesh-WiFi networks in San Francisco and Houston. The company had originally agreed to pay for the construction of the networks and recoup its investment by charging users.

When it became clear to the firm that it had overreached, EarthLink attempted to amend the deals to share some of the cost with the municipalities. The cities reportedly refused.

A number of other municipal governments including Chicago, St. Petersburg, Florida and Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, decided to shelve plans to build similar WiFi networks.

Those developments prompted some observers to suggest the concept of city-wide WiFi networks may have been doomed from the start because the so-called meshing equipment needed to transform WiFi from a short-range wireless technology into one capable of blanketing an entire city is too expensive.

“Meshing was originally designed as a military communications application used in open fields,” Mr. Nordgaard said. “When you are routing in a city, you don’t have a whole lot of options, and that becomes complex and expensive, as EarthLink found out.”

But not everyone agrees that muni WiFi is at death’s door.

“I think muni WiFi is evolving and the various players in the market are rethinking the business model,” said Sally Cohen, an analyst with Forrester Research. “There is still a viable muni WiFi business model that involves city agencies as anchor tenants and commitments from local businesses. But I don’t think that this is the end for muni WiFi.”

Sprint (S) contracts for Zyxel for WiMAX equipment

Sprint Nextel Corp. which is charging full-steam ahead on the 4G wireless front with WiMAX technology, is using Zyxel Communications of Taiwan as its primary vendor for equipment needed to bring broadband Internet into customers' homes and businesses.

This is an important contract for the Reston, Va-based telecom company which is counting WiMAX technology to give it an edge with mobile products like wireless handsets with lightning-fast broadband speeds, Sprint also need to compete with the cable modem and DSL industry to reach fixed-location customers with broadband Internet services. Zyxel's products will be central in that effort.

But a difference here is that Zyxel's products are already mobile. Unlike a cable modem or DSL modem, WiMAX is meant to be mobile. Imagine being able to unplug that small USB WiMAX modem from your desktop PC and take it for use with you anywhere in the U.S. where Sprint's WiMAX service will be available. That is a very distinct competitive advantage that cable and DSL operators can't touch. Although Laptop PCs are outselling desktop PCs, there is still a need for mobile broadband with those millions of clunky but powerful computers small and large offices -- and homes.

Alvarion to supply WiMAX equipment to Russia's CenterTelecom

Tel Aviv, Israel -- Alvarion, Ltd., the world's leading provider of WiMAX and wireless broadband solutions, today announced that its BreezeMAX(TM) system was chosen for a deployment project intended to cover various cities in Russia. The new network has already started rolling out with CenterTelecom, one of Russia's seven interregional operators owned by the giant federal holding company Svyazinvest. Alvarion's local partner for this deployment is Cedicom.

Alvarion's BreezeMAX is planned to be deployed in the regions of Moscow, Tambov, Tula, and Vladimir. The first phase of the project is planned as part of the Russian Federation's federal program for connecting hundreds of schools to a WiMAX network, offering numerous users the advantages of high-quality wireless broadband access services.

"Alvarion's BreezeMAX solution allows CenterTelecom to provide Internet access to schools, successfully meeting the deadlines of the national Education project and dealing with the complicated technological decisions involved," said Vadim Kondratov, CTO of CenterTelecom. "In addition, the WiMAX network created within the national project presents a basis for expansion of WiMAX networks in other regions in the future. This will allow CenterTelecom to enlarge the number of provided services and offer equal services to all citizens of the Center of Russia, thus raising the quality of life in the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation."

"We are proud to be chosen by one of the largest operators in Russia for providing WiMAX infrastructure and professional services to this important and fast-growing market," said Rudy Leser, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing for Alvarion. "BreezeMAX, a highly-reliable and cost-effective solution, can enable CenterTelecom to connect their customers to WiMAX as quickly and smoothly as possible."

BreezeMAX complies with IEEE 802.16 standards and uses OFDM technology for advanced non-line-of-sight functionality. Its carrier-class design supports broadband speeds and quality of service, enabling carriers to offer triple play broadband services to thousands of subscribers via a single base station. The product is also part of Alvarion's OPEN WiMAX strategy - a complete all-IP ecosystem, which combines BreezeMAX and other best-of-breed systems to create an operator-centric network solution for WiMAX.