Tranzeo Receives US$14M Purchase Order From TRG for Jointly Developed WiMAX Equipment

TRG has successfully deployed in four regions with PT Telkom

PITT MEADOWS, BRITISH COLUMBIA AND JAKARTA, INDONESIA, Mar 11, 2010 - Tranzeo Wireless Technologies Inc., a premier manufacturer of wireless broadband and WiMAX communication systems has received a US$14M purchase order from PT.  Teknologi Riset Global (TRG).  This order comes after the recent announcement by TRG that they have been selected by Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk.  (Telkom) and have already deployed in four regions of Indonesia.  This purchase order brings Tranzeo's current backlog of all purchase orders to US$34 million. 

TRG in partnership with Tranzeo has developed a family of WiMAX solutions operating at 2.3GHz and 3.3GHz in support of the recently available spectrum in Indonesia.  In support of the government's requirement to develop local telecommunications capability, the jointly developed products are produced in Jakarta, Bandung and Batam, Indonesia. 

About Tranzeo

Tranzeo Wireless Technologies Inc. leads the wireless broadband industry as a premier manufacturer of high-performance wireless network equipment that allows communities and businesses to communicate without boundaries.  Tranzeo's optimum cost effectiveness, premium quality and responsive support have attracted a growing and devoted worldwide following of more than 2,465 dealers and 16 distributors.  Tranzeo's full spectrum of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radios, WiMAX equipment, and mesh network solutions are designed for wireless internet service providers, governments, campuses, military, carriers, enterprise customers, and systems integrators around the globe.  Headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, Tranzeo also has offices in San Diego, California and Shannon, Ireland.  Visit http://www.tranzeo.com or phone 1.866.872.6936 for more information. 

About TRG

PT.  Teknologi Riset Global (TRG) is a leading telecommunication infrastructure provider in Indonesia.  Supported by world-class, fully-dedicated engineers, TRG has developed Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) equipment.  In mutual cooperation with world-leading Electronic Manufacturer Services, TRG produces reliable and competitive products.  Visit http://www.trg.co.id for more information. 
 

UQ Sees 50-percent Japanese Base Station Increase

Tokyo, March 10, 2010 - NEC Corporation ( NEC ) announced today that UQ Communications Co., Ltd. ( President: Takashi Tanaka; HQ: Tokyo, Japan ) has expanded its WiMAX service with NEC's base stations.

UQ Communications has revised its WiMAX base station installation plan for the 2009 fiscal year from 4,000 to more than 6,000 base stations by the end of March 2010. UQ Communications selected two vendors to develop and produce WiMAX base stations. NEC's base stations began operation in the UQ WiMAX commercial network today and will be used to expand service area nationwide.

NEC is delivering the WiMAX "PasoWings BS202" base station, which has secured WiMAX Forum Wave2 ( 2.5GHz ) certification, an international standard that indicates superior interoperability between vendors.

UQ communications is proactively expanding its coverage area and expects that the installation of NEC's base stations will contribute to accelerated service expansion, flexibility and stabilization.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 140,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: http://www.nec.com.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. ( C )2010 NEC Corporation.

NEC Press Contact ( Japan ):Chris Shimizu
NEC Corporation
+81-3-3798-6511
E-Mail：yc-shimizu@cb.jp.nec.com
 

Mobile WiMAX Chipset Shipments Surge in 2009

MONTREAL, Canada and SAN DIEGO, USA, March 10, 2010 - Shipments of mobile WiMAX chipsets reached 5 million in 2009, up from 1.3 million in 2008, according to the first issue of the 4Ggear™ Quarterly Report from Maravedis. 4Ggear™ is an ongoing research and analysis service focusing on technology and business trends among the leading equipment vendors for LTE, WiMAX, and selected proprietary systems.

"However despite the surge of mobile WiMAX device and chipset shipments, notably in Q4 09, the total WiMAX equipment market remained flat last year at US$1.36 billion," said Maravedis Research Director Adlane Fellah. "The overall picture is mixed. Shipments of base stations decreased in 2009 and were impacted more deeply by the economic downturn, whereas device shipments, especially mobile WIMAX devices, grew at a rate of 147% Year-over-Year compared to 2008, correlating to the addition of 3.5 million WIMAX subscribers during the year," he continued.

"Surprisingly, there are already many players in the LTE base-band chipset landscape. However early LTE chipset suppliers may not be the long term winners in the dual-mode 3G/4G chipset market," said Pascal Deriot, co-author of the report and 4Ggear™ team leader. "While LTE incumbent providers focus on sampling dual-mode chipsets, new entrants position themselves as technology drivers, delivering early LTE-only solutions."

Maravedis believes that the development of the LTE modem itself is not the most complex aspect of the global LTE picture. "Interoperability, seamless hand over, architecture expertise, and management of the different bands across the world may be the most challenging obstacles facing LTE chipset suppliers," added Deriot.

The report confirms that both WiMAX and LTE are converging upon 4G service capabilities. LTE's primary market, incumbent 3G operators, will be unlikely to significantly deploy LTE sooner than early 2012.

THIS QUARTER'S SELECT FINDINGS
• The total combined WiMAX market size in 2009 was US$1.36 billion compared to US$1.34 billion in 2008.
• Indoor modems represented 48% of WiMAX units shipped in 2009 as, by USB dongles and PC cards at 43%.
• Beceem, Sequans and GCT account for almost 90% of the total mobile WiMAX chipset market.
• LTE infrastructure benefits from WiMAX technology and product development, speeding its time-to-market and allowing for a cleaner interoperability and conversion between and from WiMAX to LTE.
• On the WiMAX chipset front, Maravedis has observed a shift to the LTE technology; Beceem, Sequans, Altair, Comsys and Wavesat have announced LTE chipset. Some of them have been sampled (Altair, Comsys, and Wavesat) others will follow in Q210 (Sequans) and Q410 (Beceem).


Join Maravedis on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 11am (ET)
for the first free quarterly 4Ggear Webinar: Equipment Market Update and Chipset Trends
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER OR GET INFO

4Ggear™ is an ongoing research and analysis service focusing on technology and business trends among the leading equipment vendors for LTE, WiMAX, and selected proprietary systems.

MARAVEDIS is a premier global provider of market intelligence and advisory services focusing on 4G and broadband wireless technologies, regulation and markets, including LTE, WiMAX, femtocells, chipsets, radio access network, core network and backhaul.


Press Contact:

Carolyn Jolin
Director, Media Solutions
Tel: +1 514 467 9191
carolyn@maravedis-bwa.com

IDC: WiMAX will Surpass 3G-embedded PCs this year

It's interesting to see that WiMAX plays favorably in research firm IDC's 2010 PC market predictions. Coming in at number four on their list of 10 predictions is that WiMAX adoption will continue on a strong pace with WiMAX-embedded portable PCs leading the way.

"Shipments of portable PCs with WiMAX embedded will surpass shipments of portable PCs with 3G cellular embedded in 2010. While activation rates for 3G enabled notebooks may be higher than WiMAX enabled notebooks, the foundation is being laid for future WiMAX adoption," according to a press release by Massachusetts based company.

IDC has more than 1000 analysts working in more than 110 countries in the areas of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy.

For the complete report and the other nine predictions, see IDC's full press release.

Avago Technologies Announces Pair of Miniature High Linearity Wireless Data Power Amplifiers for WiMAX and WiFi Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif., and SINGAPORE, March 09, 2010 -- Avago Technologies (Nasdaq: AVGO), a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, today announced two new high linear power amplifier (PA) modules that feature low power consumption and improves signal quality for WiMAX and WiFi applications that operate in the 2GHz range. This PA series features high linear Pout for good linearity and low distortion, high power added efficiency (PAE), as well as input and output pre-match for matching and application simplicity. Avago’s MGA-43x28 PA module series, which are housed in a miniature 5 by 5 by 0.85 mm package, are ideal for use as a final stage PA in a wide range of high power WiMAX, WLAN and LTE applications which operate in the 2300 to 2700MHz spectrum.



The MGA-43x28 PA modules have the same package footprint, pin-out and external matching network to allow a common printed circuit board (PCB) design when used at different frequencies. Additionally, this series of PAs from Avago comes with an integrated bypass switch controlled attenuator which provides attenuation of ~24.0dB, along with a built-in power detector. In a typical operating environment of 5-volts and 1 Amp, the MGA-43228 delivers performance of 29.1dBm linear Pout at 2.5 percent error vector magnitude (EVM), 38.5dB gain and 16 percent PAE at 2400MHz. Under the same operating conditions, the MGA-43328 delivers a performance of 29.3dBm linear Pout at 2.5 percent EVM, 37.3dB gain and 16 percent PAE at 2600 MHz. These features enable the MGA-43x28 series PAs to provide superior signal quality for computer performance evaluation (CPE) while transmitting at a higher throughput to reduce power consumption.

Key Features
• Miniature size: 5 by 5 by 0.85 mm
• Advanced GaAs E-pHEMT technology
• 5V power supply (can be used at 3.3V for lower supply voltage applications)
• Built-in detector and shutdown switches
• MSL-2a and lead-free

Pricing and Availability
Avago’s MGA-43228 and MGA-43328 PAs are priced at $7.49 each in minimum quantities of 1,000. Samples and production quantities are available now through Avago’s direct sales channel and worldwide distribution partners.

About Avago Technologies
Avago Technologies is a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications. By leveraging its core competencies in III-V compound and silicon semiconductor design and processing, the company provides an extensive range of analog, mixed signal and optoelectronics components and subsystems to approximately 40,000 end customers. Backed by strong customer service support, the company's products serve four diverse end markets: wireless communications, wired infrastructure, industrial and automotive electronics, and consumer and computing peripherals. Avago has a global employee presence and heritage of technical innovation dating back 40 years to its Hewlett-Packard roots. Information about Avago is available on the Web at www.avagotech.com

Verizon's 2010 4G Rollout Plans on Target

Verizon appears to be on schedule in it's plans to make 4G speeds available to 100 million Americans by the end of the year according to ZDNet's Jason Hiner. He reports today on his blog that the LTE network testing going on in Seattle and Boston is yiedling broadband speeds that "are way beyond what customers get on the current 3G networks."

In a February interview with Fiercewireless, Verizon's CTO Richard Lynch was bullish about launch predictions saying "Boston and Seattle will be fully passed in terms of testing, and then we will announce to our vendors that we are ready for commercial infrastructure deployment in a big way," he said. "I have no doubt that we will make a 2010 launch."

LTE, a competitor to WiMAX in the 4G technology ecosystem has long been seen as the choice of GSMA providers over WiMAX, which has been championed in the U.S. by Sprint and it's partner Clearwire. However analysts have also indicated that while there are more than 500 WiMAX networks deployed in 147 countries, LTE networks are lagging behind. Most analysts have predicted that LTE will be commercially viable world-wide beginning in the second quarter of 2011.

Verizon, as reported by Hiner, is clearly on the leading edge of the LTE rollout then. Others, such as AT&T and the government of Singapore admit that their LTE networks won't realistically be ready until 2011.

Tony Melone, the executive vice president and CTO of Verizon Wireless, tells Networkworld's Brad Reed that he is "happy to report that we're ahead of where we thought we'd be as far as site readiness goes. This was the area I was most concerned with a year ago, when we were wondering when all the tower companies and backhaul providers would be ready to meet our needs. But we've been pleasantly surprised by their readiness so far as they've really embraced this opportunity."

Furthermore he points out that the company plans to be commercially viable in 25 to 30 markets by the end of the year. "It's looking better each day, not worse each day." Verizon plans an aggressive push beyond that hoping to double the number of markets 15 months after an initial launch.

Sprint and Clearwire, partners in WiMAX deployment are currently in 28 U.S. markets with plans to be in dozens more later this year with a four-fold coverage increase from 30 million in 2009 to 120 million by the end of this year.



 

Airspan WiMAX Selected by Alaska Operator ASTAC

Serving eight traditional native communities and the petroleum industry on the North Slope ofAlaska with next-generation services

Boca Raton, FL, March 3, 2010 – Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, announced today that Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative (ASTAC), an Alaskan telecommunications company, has purchased Airspan’s advanced technology WiMAX equipment through systems integrator Stutler Technologies Corp.

Utilizing Airspan’s WiMAX solution, ASTAC provides Alaska’s North Slope communities and industries with a true broadband experience, enabling homes and businesses to access highspeed Internet, carrier class Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and nomadic capabilities. Serving Alaskans with telecommunications can often be challenging due the natural topography and severe weather conditions. Airspan provides WiMAX equipment that communicates over wide distances and can endure extreme weather temperatures, making this WiMAX solution ideal for ASTAC and their customers.

ASTAC owns the largest 700 MHz license in Alaska. With Airspan’s 700 MHz MicroMAX WiMAX base station, ASTAC is able to leverage the license and deploy a broadband solution whose propagation characteristics allow for miles of broadband coverage – serving customers up to 30 miles away from a Base Station. Based in a unique environment, ASTAC serves not only homes and traditional businesses, but also serves demanding customers such as the petroleum industry and global warming research centers.

“ASTAC has been serving the Prudhoe Bay oil field area with Airspan equipment for over 4 years. With harsh weather conditions, limited wired infrastructure and often only seasonal ice road access, companies on the slope have limited broadband access options. Working with Stutler Technologies to deploy Airspan equipment, ASTAC is able to continuously provide faster, more reliable broadband wireless services to these companies,” commented Charlie Carpenter, Chief Network Officer of ASTAC.

“We have been very excited to work with ASTAC. They have some of the most challenging connectivity scenarios, but by coupling Airspan’s highly developed and mature technology with Stutler’s deployment experience, we have been able to supply ASTAC with an ideal solution to help them operate a successful business and grow their customer base,” stated J.J. Stutler, CEO of Stutler Technologies.

“Airspan solutions are built to serve a wide variety of applications. Our product portfolio serves customers operating in the 700 MHz band, as used by ASTAC, up to the 5.9 GHz band. The inherent advantages of our advanced WiMAX solutions are the extended coverage, higher speeds, mobility and triple-play applications which are gained through a solution that is modular, quick to deploy and has a low cost of ownership, maximizing ROI and minimizing expenses,” commented Amit Ancikovsky, President of Sales and Products for Airspan. “Stutler is one of our most experienced partners. Together we have addressed the needs of hundreds of operators across 44 states. We look forward to our continued shared growth.”

Sprint launches 30-second 4G T.V. commercial

If you haven't seen Sprint's 4G only commercial yet, here it is.

The guy starts off  like he's in an Apple commercial - a very sparse set with a casually dressed young man. However our 4G guide takes us to lots of places you might not think you could get fast mobile internet access - the park, a line at the airport, a fancy restaurant, and finally playing games around a campfire with four friends

The 30-second spot is just one of Sprint's new marketing strategies to push 4G service as they and Clearwire attempt to expand their markets beyond the 27 U.S. cities they already serve.

"To really understand the Sprint 4G difference you have to see for yourself what it can do," said Mike Goff, vice president of Corporate Marketing, Sprint. "Our new marketing campaign is designed to give customers vivid insight into the dramatically new and improved connected lifestyle offered by Sprint 4G. And Sprint is the only national wireless carrier providing the 4G experience today."




 

ABI Research Mobile Networks Snapshot: LTE and WiMAX Deployments Go Head-to-Head as the 4G Technology Battle Begins

SINGAPORE-- December 2009 saw the first commercial launch of LTE networks, with TeliaSonera the first service provider in the world to offer the service in Stockholm and Oslo. 2010 promises to see the commercial launch of several LTE networks, including large operators such as Verizon Wireless in the United States and NTT DoCoMo in Japan. With voice standards still in development and a lack of compatible handsets, however, we can expect these networks to carry only data traffic for some time to come.

As LTE deployments begin to pick up pace, WiMAX continues its steady progress.

ABI Research analyst Bhavya Khanna says, “While LTE does promise data speeds greater than 50Mbps, they have yet to be achieved by live or trial networks, whereas mobile WiMAX is now a tried and tested standard.” Several operators, including Sprint in the United States, have chosen to go with WiMAX as their 4G network of choice. ABI Research reports 164 mobile WiMAX networks in trial or commercial operation at the end of 2009, compared to just over 100 LTE trials.

In addition, the total number of network contract announcements for mobile WiMAX tracked by ABI research was 242, compared to only 38 for LTE. With the planned launch of several WiMAX devices in 2010, including handsets from smartphone maker HTC, it looks likely that this technology will co-exist with LTE for some time to come.

ABI Research’s sister-company ABI Forums  will host a conference, “4G Networks: LTE & WiMAX,”  April 15-16, 2010 in Hong Kong. Exploring the coexistence of LTE and WiMAX, it will feature an outstanding roster of expert industry speakers as well as key ABI Research analysts. Click here to register.

ABI Research’s “Wireless Spectrum, Services and Technology Deployment Market Data”  provides a comprehensive source of information of all wireless network providers, their operating spectra, access technologies and key network vendors globally. Also included in the service is a summary of the major network supplier contracts awarded, by geography and network.

It is a component of the Mobile Networks Research Service which also includes Research Reports, Research Briefs, other Market Data products, ABI Insights, ABI Vendor Matrices, and analyst inquiry support.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through 27 research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

New Panasonic Toughbook Features WiMAX Support

Panasonic introduced today a new tablet PC today that is not only billed as the "world's lightest" but also will allow for WiMAX broadband modules to be embedded alongside Wi-Fi.

The Toughbook C1 is a 12.1" convertible tablet PC that company officials say is ideal for road warriors and mobile workers in a variety of markets, including healthcare, field service, sales and education.

“One of the main markets for the Toughbook C1 is healthcare,” said Greg Davidson, healthcare senior business development manager, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. “We have been working with our healthcare customers to design a convertible tablet that truly addressed their needs. To date, the market has been making do with tablets that fail to offer the light weight, ergonomics and battery life needed by healthcare professionals. We believe the new Toughbook C1 addresses all these issues, while offering the additional benefits of excellent performance and durability.”

The Panasonic Toughbook C1 will allow for WiMAX capability to be embedded alongside Wi-Fi and other mobile solutions.

In order to withstand the demands of a highly mobile work environment, The Toughbook C1 has been designed to endure drops, bumps and spills. The Toughbook C1 successfully survived drops of 12” from any angle for the unit itself and from 30” for the shock-mounted, flex-connect hard drive. Additionally, the Toughbook C1 survived a 30” (just over the typical height of a desk or table) drop to the base of the unit while operating.

The Toughbook C1 offers a variety of embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® 2.1 and optional Gobi2000™ mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm. Gobi simplifies complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for IT departments and allows mobile employees improved connectivity options while traveling at home or abroad. The Toughbook C1 is also designed so Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G mobile broadband modules can be embedded in the same unit, while allowing exceptional reception and flexibility for data access on the go. The Toughbook C1 will be certified on the Sprint and Verizon Wireless networks, allowing workers to stay connected at all times. Other wireless carrier certifications will be announced soon.

The Toughbook C1 offers a variety of embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® 2.1 and optional Gobi2000™ mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm. Gobi simplifies complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for IT departments and allows mobile employees improved connectivity options while traveling at home or abroad. The Toughbook C1 is also designed so Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G mobile broadband modules can be embedded in the same unit, while allowing exceptional reception and flexibility for data access on the go. The Toughbook C1 will be certified on the Sprint and Verizon Wireless networks, allowing workers to stay connected at all times. Other wireless carrier certifications will be announced soon.

The Panasonic Toughbook C1 will be available worldwide starting June 2010. In the United States, the Toughbook C1 is expected to be available at an estimated street price of $2499 from authorized Panasonic resellers and distributors.
 

To learn more about the Toughbook C1, see this Panasonic video.