WiMAX continues push into new devices

Handhelds, embedded notebooks and built-in vehicle information systems put consumers in touch with their surroundings.

As regional mobile broadband networks emerge using WiMAX and pre-4G technologies, new applications emerge while remaining connected to Internet services anytime and anywhere. A promising new application that continues to gain traction is vehicle and personal navigation. The latest addition to this trend came from Mercury of Korea. The company announced the immediate availability of its EyeStar Navigation MD5000 vehicle navigation device operating on the WiBro service for the South Korean market.

Mercury touts the use of mobile broadband technology to deliver speeds faster than HSPA, even while moving at speeds up to 120 km/hour. The system is an on-board computer equipped with a Monahan 624 MHz processor, LG's DMB (mobile TV) chipset and a separate PIP chipset. Mapping is accomplished through the Mappy United software. It also provides a trip display dedicated to specific car models, including Kia Opirus (known as Amanti in North America), Renault Samsung Motors SM5/7, GM Daewoo Winstorm and Tosca, and more.

In addition to the convenience features offered for passengers, the system operates as a black box allowing it to view and record video in case of an accident. A camera captures footage 12 seconds before an accident and 6 seconds afterwards. Other features include an FM radio tuner and an AV-Out connection for rear camera and DVD player options.

The Mercury MD5000 is available for KRW1,000,000 (about US$990).

Consumers have multiple options for identifying the ideal mobile broadband navigation solution:
 

• Embedded Wi-Fi + GPS support
  o Solution connects wirelessly to the wireless infrastructure of the transport type (car, bus, or train - for example)
  o Apple's 3G iPhone is an example of this product class
• Built-in to vehicle dash or rear-seat console
  o A wired connection is made to a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) router, which could be WiMAX or a 3G+ connection.
  o The computing system is built-in to the vehicle dashboard or in a rear-seat console, such as the Mercury MD5000 WiBro navigation device
• Embedded WiMAX support
  o An always-on WAN connection built into a portable device supports use in vehicles or pedestrian applications
  o This new category of Personal Navigation Devices (PND) is catching on for the mobile workforce and metropolitan commuters.
• Upgraded to WiMAX
  o WiMAX is added via an expansion slot (PCMCIA/CardBus/ExpressCard), internal module (mini-PCI), or interface port (USB)
  o This after-market option will be popular for notebook PCs, sub-notebooks and early UMPCs
   

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC
 

Friday, July 25, 2008 in Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Malta's second nationwide WiMAX network

BreezeMAX and 4Motion radios chosen for 3.5 GHz deployment by island's telecommunications provider.

Alvarion announced that it has been chosen by GO Mobile for a nationwide WiMAX network deployment on the island of Malta. Using Alvarion's 4Motion CPE and BreezeMAX infrastructure radios, GO Mobile plans to provide voice and data services in the 3.5 GHz frequency band to the residents of the island of Malta. Rollout of the commercial network is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

"[WiMAX] will augment our already nationwide 3G-3.5G/HSDPA wireless coverage," said Norbert Prihoda, Chief Mobile Operations Officer of GO. "This underpins our multi-access nationwide data strategy with the utilization of different technologies to provide the best value proposition for our customers." Under the terms of the operator's license, GO Mobile is required by Malta's regulator MCA (Malta Communication Authority) to complete network rollout and provide 99% nationwide coverage by October 2009.

The European island of Malta has a population of 403,500 covering 315 sq km. As of March 2008, the ITU counted 158,000 Internet users of which 55,000 accessed via broadband speeds. Go Mobile's plans for nationwide coverage follow Vodafone's announcements in 2007 to offer its "@home" service using Airspan radios for fixed WiMAX services also in the 3.5 GHz spectrum. For €13.86 EUR per month, the @home service provides subscribers with Internet access of 1 Mbps. A premium service for €23 EUR monthly doubles performance to 2 Mbps. Vodafone Malta expected nationwide service for its residential and business WiMAX services to be completed earlier this year.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Saudi Telecom expands WiMAX coverage

Deployment phase one for WiMAX is complete and the second commences for the Saudi telecommunications provider.

Airspan Networks Inc. announced that the Saudi Arabian carrier, Saudi Telecom, has successfully deployed WiMAX services using Airspan's HiperMAX base stations, which provide both fixed and mobile WiMAX solutions. The second phase of the project is now commencing with Airspan supplying its indoor and outdoor fixed subscriber terminals. Saudi Telecom has a 3.5 GHz license covering the entire kingdom. Broadband wireless services will be made available to both urban and rural areas.

Airspan's HiperMAX Base Station and indoor EasyST WiMAX modem support both fixed WiMAX (802.16-2004) and mobile WiMAX (802.16e-2005) system profiles. An operator can choose the underlying technology best-suited for its market and applications. "We believe that WiMAX technology is one of the important tools in broadband wireless access technology which will enable Saudi Telecom to provide highly reliable broadband voice and data access quickly on demand, everywhere and anywhere, within Saudi Arabia," said Samir Matbouli, Saudi Telecom's Vice President for the Enterprise Business unit.

Redline Communications announced in March 2007 that its fixed WiMAX equipment was selected by Saudi Telecom for deployment in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Saudi Telecom subsequently chose Huawei's 802.16e-2005 infrastructure in August 2007 for deployment of mobile WiMAX services. The adoption of Internet access in Saudi Arabia grew from 17% to 22% between December 2007 and March 2008, according to reports from the ITU. However, a September ITU report counted only 218,000 broadband subscribers, about 0.77% of the kingdom's population.

In April 2008, Motorola announced a $165 million WiMAX 802.16e-2005 kingdom-wide infrastructure contract with Saudi telecommunications company Atheeb.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

WiMAX in Moscow and Armenia

Mobile WiMAX plans for 184 base stations and radio equipment partners unveiled for Russia and Armenia.

Comstar UTS, a provider of telecommunication services in Russia, announced mobile WiMAX expansion plans in Moscow this week. In addition, its subsidiary in Armenia announced the first phase completion for its mobile WiMAX network in the republic. Nortel and Airspan have been named equipment partners in the Comstar ventures.

Comstar's WiMAX network in Moscow claims to be the first based on 802.16e-2005 (Mobile WiMAX) equipment. Build-out of 160 base stations and infrastructure at a cost of US$20 million is expected to conclude by year-end. Moscow will use radio kit from Nortel in the 2.5~2.7 GHz frequency band. Sergey Pridantsev, President and Chief Executive Officer of Comstar UTS, commented: "The mobile WiMAX network, which will be added to other broadband internet access technologies, will allow us to provide a very broad range of telecommunications services to our subscribers in Moscow, whether at home, in the office or on the street."

Cornet-AM, Comstar's subsidiary in the Republic of Armenia, announced it had completed the installation of 24 base stations using Airspan radios in the 3.6~3.8 GHz band based on the 802.16e-2005 standard. The operator has licenses to provide wireless coverage in nine provinces ("marzes") of Armenia. Cornet's network claims to enable the provision of a full range of telecommunications services, such as digital telephony, high-speed internet access, conference calling and creating virtual private networks for residential and corporate subscribers. "We have implemented the first part of our strategic project aimed at expanding our presence in Armenia," said Victor Koresh, vice president for regional development at Comstar. "The next step involves the development of the voice services in the Republic." Cornet-AM applied earlier this year for 60,000 telephone numbers to build a competitive voice offering.

The capital city of the Russian Federation, Moscow, is home to 10.57 million of the country's 143.4 million population. A March 2007 report showed Russia's Internet penetration approaching 20% with one in ten Internet users realizing broadband speeds. Armenia bridges Eastern Europe and Western Asia with an estimated population of 3.3 million. The country has an exceptionally low Internet penetration of 5.4% and only 2,000 broadband users as of September 2007, according to an ITU study.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Monday, July 21, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

ELRO and ECI plan Danish WiMAX network

Denmark's utilities company plots course for nationwide WiMAX access by the year 2010.

ECI Telecom announced it has entered into a 3-year framework agreement with ELRO of Denmark. ECI Telecom provides network infrastructure to carriers and service providers. ECI will integrate its XDM and Broadgate Multi-Service Provisioning Platforms with wireless equipment from Alvarion and Ceragon Networks. ELRO is Denmark's utilities company.

ELRO was granted a spectrum license in 2007 for WiMAX operations. At the end of 2007, ELRO launched first services around the city of Randers where the provider has already passed 5,000 subscribers. The addition of services from ECI Telecom will accelerate WiMAX deployment with nationwide coverage anticipated by 2010. ELRO has a "use it or lose it" clause in its spectrum license and must demonstrate nationwide coverage in that timeframe.

Alvarion's BreezeMAX platform was selected for the WiMAX radio equipment. The Israeli equipment manufacturer acquired ECI's fixed wireless business, called InnoWave, back in 2003. Microwave point-to-point provider Ceragon will provide its FibeAir links for radio backhaul. The combination of microwave access and backhaul is commonly found in WiMAX deployments where new networks are being built.

Butler Networks and Danske Telecom also have WiMAX licenses in Denmark. Three years ago, Clearwire invested in Danske Telecom for WiMAX development. All the Danish license holders have tinkered with Alvarion equipment either in the proprietary stage or more recent WiMAX models. About 69% of Denmark's 5.5 million citizens have access to the Internet, according to Internet World Stats. A June 2007 report by OECD recorded 34% (~1.87 million) of the population are broadband Internet subscribers.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Friday, July 18, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

NDT to deploy WiMAX across Italy

Base station partner for III Taiwan secures $30 million contract for Italian network integration and supply.

Newport Digital Technologies (NDT) announced an agreement to deploy fixed and mobile WiMAX base stations across Northern Italy.  The customer will use infrastructure radios from Taiwan's Institute of Information Industry (III) based on the 802.16-2004 and 802.16e-2005 standards.  NDT had announced the Italian network plans in May as part of an announcement for WiMAX deployment on the islands of Fiji.

NDT is a subsidiary of International Food Products Group.  The company also distributes III's low-cost notebook PC in the Americas and South Pacific.  "We have already shipped 500 base stations this past quarter," said Richard Damion, CEO of NDT.  "We anticipate another record quarter as we expand our operations in Italy to $1-million US per month from August and start our shipments to Poland and Fiji in September.  We anticipate generating revenues in excess of $75-million US during the next fiscal year."

The company's WiMAX deployments in Fiji and Tuvalu offer new services including eLearning and telemedicine.  "The benefits for WiMAX technology are clear," said Robert Pimentel, WiMAX Program Director for III.  "This technology is now able to bring broadband to remote regions of the world that we could not previously service and now serves as a foundation for our eLearning, eHealth and eGovernment platforms where we can deploy extensive applications for governments and business."

Italy's Ministry of Communications auctioned the 3.5 GHz frequency band in February 2008 raising EUR136.3 million.  Italy's military currently uses the often sought-after 2.5 GHz band, though a consultation of possibly reallocating the spectrum is being considered this year.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Intel rolls out Centrino 2 platform without WiMAX

The chip giant launches its next-generation mobile chipset, shows off a WiMAX-enabled smart car, and delays WiMAX support until later in the year.

As part of Intel's Centrino 2 processor launch this week, the chip company shifted its timeline for introducing WiMAX support and showed off a smart car incorporating mobile WiMAX services. Intel tricked out a Mercedes-Benz smart car with WiMAX gear and a vehicle information system. The vehicle was on display in San Francisco this week during the launch event. Surprisingly, the eco-friendly smart car is even more spacious than the typical Intel employee cubicle.

Adding computing power to the automotive industry is not new, but it has been relatively hidden to consumers in the past. In addition to controlling on-board systems, such as electrical, climate, and emissions, the addition of a high-speed connection from the vehicle to the Internet offers several new capabilities. WiMAX technology, based on the IEEE 802.16e-2005 standards, maintains a multi-megabit link from an antenna in the vehicle to nearby receivers that connect to the Internet.

In-vehicle systems utilize a touch-screen interface located in the dashboard or via a rear-seat console. The screen is specially designed to provide contrast and brightness based on a wide range of lighting conditions experienced when driving at different hours of the day or night. Intel's smart car incorporates several peripherals for passengers to interact with, including two webcams, a 5.1 surround sound system and a GPS navigation system. Internet services are then applied to provide conveniences similar to those you might have in your home today. Voice and video calls can be made and received, songs from your home audio library are streamed to the vehicle, and episodes of television programming are accessible anytime.

The Centrino 2 processor platform is supposed to enable WiMAX services for many countries in the same way that Wi-Fi became a standard notebook PC feature with the original Centrino introduction. However, the initial Centrino 2 chipsets will not include WiMAX. While Intel has achieved WiMAX Forum Wave 2 certification for the Echo Peak module (combining 2.5 GHz WiMAX and multi-band Wi-Fi on a single module), it will not be produced until later this year. Upon introduction, the Echo Peak WiMAX/Wi-Fi module will be an optional feature for Centrino 2-powered notebooks.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC
 

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 in Business | Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Maynooth launches mobile WiMAX network

First Irish 802.16e-2005 network enables VoIP and broadband services for campus and nearby facilities.

National University of Ireland, Maynooth has selected Alcatel-Lucent to launch the first mobile WiMAX (802.16e-2005) network service in Ireland. The project is funded by the Centre for Telecommunications Value Chain Research (CTVR) and provides NUI Maynooth staff, 6,000 students and other Irish researchers "always-on" broadband services.

Alcatel-Lucent is providing the university with infrastructure base stations, access controllers, and an operation and maintenance center along with the services necessary to design, deploy and maintain the network. Voice over IP (VoIP) and mobile, high-speed data services such as DVD-quality streaming video, fast downloads of very large files as well as video-conferencing are expected to draw users to the network. Remote access to the university's network will be available for off-campus students. Network coverage is planned for facilities located as far as 20 kilometers from the campus.

"We are very excited about the possibilities that WiMAX offers everyone at the university; fast voice, video and data transport will greatly facilitate knowledge transfer and resource sharing," said Dr. Ronan Farrell, Director of the Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems at NUI Maynooth. The National University of Ireland, Maynooth is Ireland's second oldest university, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the Arts, Science, Engineering, Philosophy and Celtic Studies. The university traces its origins directly to the foundation in 1795 of St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Dr. Farrell continued, "Thanks to Alcatel-Lucent's WiMAX solution we will benefit from innovative and full mobile high-speed campus wide communications. The WiMAX network is also a great opportunity for developing our research activities on mobile and wireless technologies and applications".

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Monday, July 14, 2008 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

BWA market surpasses the 2 million mark

Industry operators demonstrate progress over first three months this year.

The broadband wireless access (BWA) market was rapidly approaching the two million subscriber mark at the end of March 2008, according to market research firm Maravedis.  Subscribers to broadband wireless services grew over 260,000 during the first three months of the year, which would have seen the 2 million mark surpassed during the first week of April.  The online service tracks BWA and WiMAX operators.

U.S. wireless ISP Clearwire remains the largest provider of BWA services in the world with 433,000 subscribers. 802.16-based WiMAX radios are not part of Clearwire's commercial offering yet, so the figure reflects only the use of proprietary Motorola equipment.  Commercially available services make up the majority of BWA and WiMAX networks (planned launches, trials and idle spectrum are the other categories).  About 75% of those networks use 802.16 standards, while the balance utilizes proprietary equipment.

The quarterly summary also found that ~50% of operators only offer high-speed Internet services, while the balance offer multiple services including voice over IP (VoIP), streaming video, or secure virtual private network (VPN) access in addition to Internet.  Maravedis predicts that service bundles of two or three key elements will become standard in the next two years.

When reading these reports and predictions, it's important to watch the language used by the researchers. Interchanging terms, such as subscriber and user, can have a dramatic difference in published figures.  Subscribers are typically billable locations that can be audited by a service provider.  In contrast, 'users' could represent multiple family members who have access to a home broadband connection or the tens to hundreds of colleagues using a single office broadband connection.

Disclosure: The author is an independent consultant and market analyst. He has authored research for Maravedis among others.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Friday, July 11, 2008 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Huawei wins in Pakistan and Malaysia

Mobilink and Asiaspace build momentum for Huawei's WiMAX infrastructure portfolio.

Huawei Technologies of China announced a pair of mobile WiMAX wins this week.  The equipment manufacturer will supply 802.16e-2005 network infrastructure to Mobilink of Pakistan and Asiaspace of Malaysia.  As a result of the new customer projects, Huawei claims 19 overseas commercial WiMAX contracts.

Mobilink is the largest GSM operator in Pakistan and a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom.  The network will be deployed to central business districts and hot spots including the cities of Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Sialkot.  Huawei will provide a solution consisting of base stations, Access Service Network (ASN) gateways, and network management system.  Work began late last year on the backhaul build-out of 270 wireless links from Canada's DragonWave Inc.  Pakistan also has a significant nationwide network under development from Wateen.  The Warid Telecom company announced that it had ordered 198,000 CPE based on the 802.16e-2005 standard from Motorola last year.

Huawei also won a supply contract for WiMAX from Asiaspace, a Malaysian WiMAX license holder.  Asiaspace plans to deploy across Malaysia and reach 40% of the population by 2010.  Huawei's localized engineering and delivery capability was cited as a main reason for the company's selection.  Huawei has been contracted to design and install the network including base stations, gateways and management systems for Asiaspace.

"We plan to spend about RM500 million over the next three to five years to roll out our wireless broadband service," said Asiaspace chairman, Datuk Abdul Ghani Abdullah.  "We hope to become Malaysia's top WiMAX player by 2012 in terms of revenue and number of subscribers."  The operator expects to roll out service in the third quarter this year with the target of covering 25% of the population in Peninsular Malaysia by year-end.  This is predicted to increase to 30% in 2009 and eventually 40% a year later.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 in Business | Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)