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Cisco WiMAX Move
I am borrowing the quote of Neil Armstrong where when landing on the moon he stated: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", to compare the step Cisco took in acquiring Navini Networks. Navini's smart beam forming WiMAX technology, can compliment Cisco's 802.11 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) product releases for indoor and outdoor wireless networks. Cisco's carefully calculated move toward what I believe will be a software defined radio (SDR) platform over an IP will essentially change the dynamics on the way we transverse the Internet. Having a global network that scales with the mobility focus of WiMAX gives Cisco's the ability to deliver broadband globally and is very appealing.
Cisco's first small step was routing and switching and that business alone has grown their name and fame. Through sound business practices and strategic acquisitions, Cisco virtually controls the market with its wireless mobility offerings in the enterprise and small home offices with its Linksys division. Wireless LANs are still spreading like wild flowers because of the unlicensed spectrum at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The Cisco Unified Wireless Architecture today is the result of various transformations in wireless design and management platforms. The innovative effort of a global audience of creative engineers has stirred the pot to awaken Cisco to advance their stake in the market as the leader, with a WiMAX as one of those stakes.
I believe Cisco is in the process of developing with Navini's the 802.16e WiMAX products that can work synergistically with their combined Aironet-Airespace Unified Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n products by leveraging some of the advanced radio frequency engineering expertise and data networking skill sets of these teams. Moreover with the spectrum analysis genius of Cognio, another recent acquisition, Cisco can produce the "giant leap for mankind" with what will be a resilient unified WiMAX and Wi-Fi architecture in both the unlicensed and licensed spectrum, all to fit the demand from the global market.
How will Cisco accomplish this? I believe they will partner with the other like minded investors (carriers) in WiMAX globally to market a solution that scales to support and scale to be what they've coined the " Human Network". This is the ever talked about Next Generation Network where every device is connected via IPV6, MPLS, and DWDM through Data Centers that support all 4G IP enabled devices. All of which will interoperate with Cisco's optical routers and switches and virtual connections. This is no small feat and of course like anything Cisco does will meet resistance from the naysayers' and the down players.
In conclusion, the acquisition of Navini was a smart move and others are most likely to come along with this purchase. This Cisco move will bring more access t o content from the Google, Apple iPod, RIMM Blackberry, You Tube, MySpace, and WiMAX360- like in a direction that even Nostradamus could not predict.
Reginald G. Pugh
www.compughter.com
"Designing Wireless Networks with Experience and Standards"
Cisco/Google/Apple etc.
What you have described above is Googles new plans for its Nationwide Data Centers Inter-connected via private (Dark)fiber and providing service providers a single source for Content/Apps/Hosted Services without touching the best effort Internet. As a Service Provider if I can provide a Fiber link to any Google Data Center I am effectively connected to a fully managed, very secure low latency communications network where I can access all the Content I need for resale (ad revenue sharing)to my customer base. Love to be able to replace my Headend and get my TV programming delivered over a Low Latency low costs Fiber based distribution network-eliminating Aggregator/Headend and some of my last mile wired links.
When they (Google) partner and win the 700Mhz Spectrum (which will be deployed over a WiMAX type network-based on enhanced MIMO/BeamForming antenna arrays) they will finally own or have access to the Last Mile Broadband Loop-This has (historically)limited their ability to gain unfettered access to and management of the subscriber base.
Cisco (all IP) should be trying to partner with Google (All Content) and Apple (Premium Handhelds) and a Network operator to bid and win the 700Mhz spectrum (Last Mile piece). They would effectively neutralize the RBOC and Cell Carriers control of the end user.
Jim (aka Jacomo)