WiMAX More Spectrally Efficient than HSPA & LTE, says Intel

A new whitepaper released by Intel asserts that WiMAX technology is more spectrally efficient than other mobile data technologies, resulting in advantages for operators including more subscribers per cell site and higher QOS data rates.

While large headline-grabbing theoretical/peak data rates of 50Mbps+ continue to be batted around the industry by proponents of HSPA and LTE, the more important measure is how efficiently these technologies use scarce spectrum resources.  It is widely acknowledged that mobile data traffic demand will outpace the supply of actual network data capacity in the coming years, and therefore the average realized data throughput is the real metric that should be compared.

The whitepaper highlights the importance of spectral efficiency and the basics for calculating system capacity on a wireless network.  The report compares mobile WiMAX 802.16e against three other technologies - HSPA (Rel 6), HSPA+ (Rel 7) and LTE (Rel 8).

According to the report, WiMAX is able to support a higher number of subscribers per cell site compared to the other technologies while supporting high QoS data rate applications.  For example, using a 10MHz channel, WiMAX is able to support 20 video streaming users per sector at 256 kbps, compared to 12 users at 128 kbps on an HSPA network.  Furthermore, WiMAX networks are able to support a large number of users even with high monthly data usage of 12GB per subscriber.

The complete whitepaper can be downloaded here.

Monday, March 15, 2010 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Maravedis: WiMAX Subscribers Increase 80% According to Latest Findings

This week in its quarterly 4G Counts webinar, telecom market research firm Maravedis revealed its latest findings, including strong growth of WiMAX subscribers and other developments in the broadband data ecosystem.

This week in its quarterly 4G Counts webinar, telecom market research firm Maravedis revealed its latest findings, including strong growth of WiMAX subscribers and other developments in the broadband data ecosystem.

The webinar follows a press release issued by the company last week and provided additional details on their latest report. According to the firm's research, there were 4.73 million global BWA/WiMAX subscribers served by more than 200 operators at the end of Q3 2009 (the most recent quarter available), representing an 80% growth from Q3 2008. Also, for the first time the number of mobile WiMAX (802.16e-2005) subscribers surpassed the number of fixed WiMAX (802.16-2004) subscribers worldwide. In the fourth quarter, the company expects to see another 1.5 million new BWA/WiMAX subscribers for a total subscriber base projected at 6.5 million by the end of 2009.

The webinar was based on analysis from Maravedis and its 4G Counts service that tracks 4G operator deployments and provides details on the 4G ecosystem from over hundreds of operators worldwide. The service provides information on subscribers, revenue, ARPU, services offerings, base stations, devices and more.

During the webinar, Maravedis provided an updated list of the top WiMAX operators globally in terms of number of subscribers projected for the end of Q4 2009. Toping the list again was Clearwire, followed by Yota in Russia, Inukshuk in Canada, Korea Telecom and Telmex in Mexico.

Maravedis also compared the pricing plans of leading 3G and mobile WiMAX operators by region. One interesting observation was based on those surveyed, 85% of WiMAX operators reported offering unlimited data plans, compared to only 41% for 3G operators. This was possible due to the better performance of the WiMAX networks and more efficient usage of spectrum, but WiMAX operators may be forced to adjust their plans as more subscribers are added to the networks. WiMAX operators also reported some of the heaviest usage on their networks, including more than 10GB/month for Russian WiMAX provider Yota and nearly 8GB/month for Packet One in Malaysia.

The webinar also provided insight into the latest developments with LTE, including 51 operator commitments by the end of Q3 2009. According to the company, LTE dongles will become available in the second half of 2010, but not until 2011 for handsets and lower power devices such as portable integrated LTE/Wi-Fi routers.

The presenters concluded that 2010 would be a more prosperous year for the industry, but that traffic growth will continue to be a challenge for operators. As for WiMAX or LTE, most decisions will be made based on spectrum owned, business models and support for legacy systems. Furthermore, while many LTE networks will be operational by 2011, WiMAX is the only option presently available.
 

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Sprint Confirms Launch of WiMAX Handset Within Months

Revealing few other details, Sprint has confirmed with Forbes that it will be launching its much anticipated WiMAX handset by the first half of 2010, early than previously expected.

As has been widely speculated, the new device code named "Supersonic" will most likely be made by HTC and will be similar to T-Mobile's HD2 below.  The handset is also expected to include Qualcomm's speedy 1GHz Snapdragon processor, feature a 4.3-inch touch-screen display, and run on Google's Android operating system (possibly the new 3.0 version).

Of course the best part will be its 4G WiMAX connectivity, making it up to 10 times faster than current 3G networks according to Sprint and providing a much better experience for high-bandwidth applications such as streaming video.   The handset is also expected to be "dual mode", allowing it to switch to Sprint's 3G network in areas where 4G isn't yet available.

HTC HD2 Handset

Sprint's 4G WiMAX service is currently available in 27 U.S. cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas Ft. Worth, Las Vegas and others and is expected to launch in Houston, Texas in the coming weeks.   Boston, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. are planned for later this year.

I expect we will be hearing more details next month at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas.

Friday, February 19, 2010 in Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Motorola Introduces USB WiMAX Docking Station, Improving Indoor Performance

New device to be featured at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress helps strengthen signal performance for WiMAX users.

Getting better indoor signal performance can sometimes be a challenge for wireless service providers.  Motorola's solution to that problem is a new docking station, or cradle that doubles signal performance compared to using the WiMAX USB dongle alone.

Users place the WIMAX USB dongle into the docking station while connecting it to a laptop or computer via a USB cable.  When in the docking station, the USBw 200 switches antennas, boosting the signal performance from 3dB to 6dB, offering greater coverage and delivering a user experience that is on par with a desktop CPE.  The docking station also has a removable base and suction cups so that it can be attached to a window or placed where it will receive the strongest signal.


Motorola Docking Station with WIMAX USB dongle

"The docking station for the USBw 200 is our latest innovation to improve indoor coverage so people have greater flexibility on where they can enjoy personal media experiences," said Bruce Brda, senior vice president, Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility.

In addition, the docking station supports the USBw 200's Tx switching capability that features two antennas and switched transmitter diversity.  With this capability, the USBw 200 automatically transmits on the antenna that is receiving the stronger signal, providing users with a better connection to the network while allowing operators to reduce base station infrastructure requirements. 

The new product will be available in the 2nd quarter of 2010 and will can be used with 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz bands.  The USBw 200 dongle is available now through select WiMAX service providers and automatically installs necessary drivers for the Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, eliminating the need for a separate driver CD. 



A video put out by Motorola provides further details on the product.


Motorola will feature the device along with other new WiMAX solutions at their stand (Hall 8, 8B53) during Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, which begins Monday.
 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

Imagine Communications Launches WiMAX Service in Leixlip, Ireland

As part of the €100 million ($138 million USD) WiMAX rollout across Ireland, Imagine Communications has announced the launch of a high-speed broadband and phone network in Leixlip, Ireland.

The launch of this technology will provide broadband and phone services at rates up to 50 percent less than current provider charges, according to a company spokesperson.  Though the town is small, with a population less than 15,000, it is home to Intel's Ireland Campus with a workforce of more than 4,000.  Imagine estimates that local homeowners and Intel staff will save €300 ($410 USD) per year on phone and broadband bills compared to some competitors and that the new network will deliver the fastest and most reliable broadband internet in the region. 

Intel and Motorola are partners with Ireland-based Imagine Communications in the WiMAX rollout across the country. 

Phase one of the launch starts today and will cover a radius of about three miles from the city center, which is located 10 miles west of Dublin.  Imagine hopes to expand the service to areas beyond the town and urges interested households in nearby urban centers, as well as suburban and rural areas around Leixlip to register with Imagine WiMAX today.  Once sufficient numbers of homes register their interest, Imagine plans to roll out the service to those areas as soon as possible


Intel's Leixlip campus

The local newspaper, The Leinster Leader reports that the Irish Minster for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan has stressed the important impact on the local economy that this new WiMAX network will have.  The Minister said it represented "another important foundation in the development of the Smart Economy which will bring about Ireland's economic renewal."

Imagine Communications Group is pan-European and has substantial business operations in Europe with overall network reach extending to the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway and the USA.  In Ireland Imagine provides fixed voice, broadband, IP and ISP services.  It provides residential customers across the country with the Imagine, Gaelic Telecom, Access and Cinergi brands and serves 10% of the Irish population with broadband.

The company is led by its founder, Sean Bolger, who has founded and operated businesses in fixed, mobile and data telecommunications
services for nearly 20 years.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in Deployments  | Permalink |  Comments (0)

New Tools Help Users Navigate the Wireless Landscape

New web-based tools with integrated mapping features are helping users solve basic wireless questions and to identify possible solutions when planning wireless point-to-point links.

In November 2009, we covered the release of a new, free web-based Point-to-Point wireless estimator from US based AlphiMAX.  The tool generated considerable interest, getting reviews from foreign blogs in Russia, France and more.  News of the release was also picked up on twitter where word quickly spread. 

Now two months later, the company has come out with a new release of the tool and we visited with AlphiMAX's Rafi Cohen to get the latest developments.  The new and improved version now embeds a very cool Google map that allows users to zoom into any particular area and find their specific location.  In addition, while the first version required users to provide the coordinates for the two locations they wished to connect (still possible), the new version allows users to place the marker on the desired location and get the coordinates directly from a regular or terrain map.  Once the user estimates the wireless link and receives the list of all potential products, they can then filter the full list based on band, TDD/FDD, licensed/unlicensed, vendor and more. 

To complete the picture, AlphiMAX provides assistance to users in helping find everything they need when deploying a wireless point-to-point link.  Finding a distributor, an installer, an antenna vendor, a tower or even someone to help register their license are some of the options available once users have selected a product.  Also, a new "project" section lets the user manage their historical projects.

Previously, AlphiMAX only covered products in the unlicensed bands (2.4, 4.5, 4.8, 4.9, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 and 5.8GHz) and, depending on the domain, mostly from two main wireless vendors: Motorola and Alvarion.  Since then, AlphiMAX has added products from Ceragon, Dragon Wave, Axxcelera and Trango.  Users can now compare six vendors in both licensed and unlicensed frequencies, including 6, 6.8, 7.3 and 7.6GHz. 

"Vendors are now recognizing the invaluable opportunity and exposure of having their products featured in the tool and we are certain to see more of them adding their products to AlphiMAX's estimator," says Rafi Cohen with AlphiMAX. 

A few examples of the products available in the estimator include: Axxcelera's AB FULL access II within the 5.7 - 5.8 GHz ISM band, which supports FDD and TDD combinations; DragonWave's Horizon Compact series in the licensed band 6GHz, 6.8GHz, 7.3GHz and 7.6GHz; Trango Broadband's TrangoLink in the licensed 6GHz band; and Ceragon's FiberAir IP-10 platform in the 6GHz 7GHZ and 8GHz bands.
 


AlphiMAX Estimator

AlphiMAX's new project manager allows heavy users to create accounts and load, save and delete projects they are working on.  There is no limit to the number of projects that can be created.  Resellers and distributors are also able to ask for quotes on the product(s) they choose.  These requests can be provided to users directly, helping to develop a pipeline of future business. 

The AlphiMAX tool certainly provides a unique way to plan wireless links and research possible solutions.  So what's next on the roadmap? According to Cohen, the company plans to integrate 11GHz and higher solutions, providing even more options for users.  Users can find out more information at www.alphimax.com/ptp.
 
 

Tuesday, February 02, 2010 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (2)

The Importance of the AAA Platform in a WiMAX Network

Often considered too late in the process, the selection of the right AAA solution can have a significant impact on the success and viability of a WiMAX network. Interview with Johan Terve, VP Marketing for Aptilo Networks.

Q) What exactly is AAA?

AAA stands for Authentication, Authorization and Accounting.  It is a core part of a service management solution providing control of access, user services and billing in wireless and fixed networks.  Many AAA solutions stop there; others on the market go much farther, offering additional values such as subscriber and session management, policy control, voucher management, advanced authentication, intelligent roaming and a more.  These additional features are designed to provide a solid foundation for a growing network.  They can also help differentiate a business (or service) from a crowded field.

Q) Why is AAA important? Isn't it just an "add-on" feature that comes at the end of building out a wireless service?

We have met with many prospective customers during the past years.  Many of those have made the choice of AAA solution an active one, with procurement happening early in the deployment process.  Making their AAA selection up-front became a fundamental component in making sure that both their current business models of today as well as future ones would be supported.  In essence this is what is required to secure future success for any provider in the market.

All too often, however, we face prospective customers who for some reason have turned the selection of AAA into a non-active choice.  In those cases the decision is often made very late in the process, and frequently based on only a very few main criteria, such as number of authentications per second.  Even though this of course is an important parameter, making a AAA decision based solely on this single aspect can be fatal for your business, with significant limitations as a consequence.

You could compare it to buying a car using the amount of horsepower as your only selection criteria and then hitting the nearest highway, without even thinking about what your vehicle should be used for or where you want to go.  The AAA service management solution should more be regarded as the dashboard of the car combined with a steering wheel, accelerator and brakes, indicators and GPS system.  It is in essence where services are defined and personalized, and policies enforced to control which users access the Internet, their service level and billing.  In other words AAA should be regarded as your most important node when it comes to defining exactly what services you want to bring to your customers.  With this in mind there is no question that AAA should be one of your first thoughts; certainly not a forgotten item.

One should never underestimate the importance of starting with the business aspects and goals, and make the best possible attempt to outline the short- and long-term commercial models, as this can have a direct impact on the entire network and radio equipment selection.  Some vendors may simply have difficulty technically supporting the business models you want to implement.  So, start with the business aspect of your services and do not settle with only the core functions.  While these core functions might be obvious at first thought, it is important to go beyond that to seek the functionality that can really make a difference for your business. 

Q) What features do AAA and service management offer that are relevant to today's changing market, specifically for WiMAX?

WiMAX has of course been very inspired by the mobile/cellular world when it comes to technology including its well-defined standard nodes and licensed spectrum.  However, it has also been affected by the Wi-Fi hotspot and fixed broadband markets when it comes to business models.  The need to deploy nomadic and online signup-types of business models is increasing by the fast-growing number of WiMAX-embedded devices on the market.  Developing countries have proven to be the strongest market for WiMAX.  In many of these markets it's just not feasible to send an invoice at the end of the month, the credit risk is often all too high. 

Instead operators are looking at prepaid business models similar to those used with Wi-Fi hotspots.  A complicating factor is that in many of these markets the use of credit cards is not a viable alternative either, so the ability to offer different alternatives with prepaid, including scratch cards and refill of prepaid accounts through ATM machines is a must.  It is therefore important to choose a AAA solution with well thought-out APIs and the flexibility to seamlessly integrate with different external payment support systems e.g.  an ATM machine-based refill solution.

Interoperability in a changing wireless landscape is also an important feature that a well-built AAA solution can address.  There are many existing fixed broadband Internet ISPs deploying WiMAX as a mobile alternative for their clients.  They all have some sort of legacy AAA or LDAP user database that cannot support the new WiMAX installation.  One option is to implement a new network for the WiMAX deployment with all the back-end systems in parallel with the existing network.  This is a costly approach with product investments, the need to build up know-how for the new systems and additional operational costs for running two different parallel solutions. 

Fortunately there are AAA vendors that go beyond basic AAA and offer a solution that makes the WiMAX network interoperable with the legacy AAA or LDAP database.  One such an example is the Aptilo WiMAX Legacy Connector™ which mediates between the WiMAX-specific AAA attributes and the legacy user database, making it possible to just "plug-in" a WiMAX network on top of the existing legacy ISP back-end. 

Q) What is needed in a AAA solution to support next-generation WiMAX services?

A good AAA solution will have interfaces that allow an application to trigger a Change of Authorization (CoA) request to, for instance, increase the bandwidth temporarily for a user.  One example of the type of application where this would be a tremendous benefit is next-generation WiMAX services such as Video-on-demand (VoD), where a VoD server can trigger an increase of the bandwidth when a user decides to watch a movie.  The only way to accommodate this is to have a AAA solution that is flexible enough to allow a CoA request from the VoD server over the Internet through some sort of provisioning interface.  The same interface could potentially also be used for provisioning of new users from external portals or over-the-air OMA-DM systems.



Johan Terve
Vice President Marketing, Aptilo

Johan Terve serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Aptilo.  Previously, Terve was the VP Marketing & Sales at Ingate Systems and in that position he succeeded in putting the company on the map as the leading global player in SIP-capable Firewalls and enterprise session border controllers (SBCs).  From his 23 years experience in the IT industry, Terve have spent more than ten years in various CEO, VP and Director positions in the IT distribution business.  At Nordic Datadistribution he was responsible for all business divisions and corporate marketing and helped this major IT equipment distributor to become the fastest growing company in Sweden for four consecutive years.  Mr.  Terve started his career as software developer and has a broad university-level education in business administration, psychology and economics.

 

Thursday, January 28, 2010 in Equipment  | Permalink |  Comments (0)