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FDD WiMAX cracks open US market
Fierce Wireless and Techworld report a WiMAX vendor (Airspan) says that a profile for mobile WiMAX that uses paired frequency division duplex (FDD) signaling with separate channels for the uplink and downlink will be available within about six months.
This is a very significant development for a number of reasons. Most importantly it optimizes WiMAX as the technology of choice for holders of AWS and 700 MHz spectrum in the US. In 700 MHz for example, the "B" channels being auctioned this week consist of paired 6 MHz channels. Those who picked up the AWS licenses are paired 10 MHz bands.
By this time 2009 when the broadcast TV operators are to be off the air and 700 MHz license holders can open up full throttle, FDD WiMAX will be available for those new (and old) license holders. Ditto for those who forked over billions of $ for AWS license in the summer 2006 auction.
Myth busted: Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have all the WiMAX spectrum in the US so why should any one think about doing it?
Is this a great country for WiMAX or what?
Frank Ohrtman
WMX Systems, LLC
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tags:
700 MHz TDD/FDD WiMAX Coming
The catch is that the current WiMAX Forum Certification program (Release 1.0) specifies only TDD support. An interim certification program, called 1.x, is being scoped that would support the addition of FDD profiles (700 MHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, etc).
Certification profiles are built, tested, and made available for product submissions in "market order". This means that the ones that have the greatest market opportunity are completed first. Expect that to mean for FDD an order of: 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 700 MHz. The 2.5 GHz band is important because of the recent designation of WiMAX as an IMT-2000 "3G" technology family member. Current IMT spectrum allocations at 2.5-2.6 GHz utilize FDD spectrum, which follows Frank's example above about optimization. 3.5 GHz is the legacy broadband wireless access and wireless local loop band, which also has a history of FDD use (Airspan, Alvarion, SR Telecom, etc).
The Release 1.x program needs to be created. With Release 1.0 Wave 1 and Wave 2 Phase 1 testing just kicking off specific to 2 profiles, it's unlikely that the certification program will be readied in 6 months, let alone that new profiles specific to a new program release will be readied in that timeframe. My guess is that we'll see a 700 MHz profile for FDD in 2009 -- just because there are other priorities and limited resources to develop test procedures.