WIMAX - Wimax Industry News

Proxim, RDL Unveil WiMAX Network in Brazil's Largest City

ctownsend — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:28:16 -0400

Proxim Wireless announced today that RDL Comunicacoes, Ltd., a Sao Paulo-based WISP, has deployed Proxim's unlicensed WiMAX and wireless backhaul technology to enable broadband service in 10 cities throughout Brazil, including Sao Paulo in the south of the country.

Heavily urbanized Sao Paulo is Brazil's largest city and the 6th largest in the world with more than 11 million residents. The nine other cities are within 20 miles (32km)of Sao Paolo. They are Barueri, Caieiras, Carapicuiba, Cotia, Franco da Rocha, Jandira, Itapevi, Osasco, and Santana do Parnaiba.

Proxim's solutions, which use a mix of their Tsunami QuickBridge and new Tsunami QB-8150 radios for wireless backhaul and Proxim's Tsunami MP.11 unlicensed WiMAX radios to provide wireless access, provided significant cost savings for RDL.

According to Proxim, it would have cost RDL up to $6,500 per kilometer to deploy fiber. Some of the Proxim Tsunami QB-8150 wireless backhaul links operate at up to 40 km hops -- distances that would cost up to $260,000 to connect via fiber. RDL worked with Proxim distributor Seal Telecom to identify the best wireless solutions for reducing these large deployment costs.

"We knew that rolling out service to these distributed cities via fiber or copper would be completely cost prohibitive," said Ronaldo da Silva Nunes, Director at RDL Comunicacoes, Ltd. "Not only does Proxim provide better price and similar to or better performance than wired networks , but Proxim also performed better than the other wireless vendors we tested. And with Proxim, we get a one stop shop for all our wireless needs -- from wireless backhaul to wireless access."

As a result of utilizing Proxim's wireless backhaul and unlicensed WiMAX solutions, this deployment was a fraction of the cost of deploying fiber or copper cables. In addition, RDL estimates a complete system ROI of less than 12 months.

"At Proxim, all we do is wireless. We have a complete wireless broadband ecosystem, which gives us the ability to deploy broadband networks that perform similar to or better than wired networks, but for a fraction of the cost," said Mauricio Meirelles, Regional Technical Sales Manager in Brazil for Proxim Wireless. "As a result, we have a great deal of experience displacing wired technologies and accelerating ROI for our customers' broadband networks."

Alvarion Showcases 4G WiMAX and Wireless Broadband Offerings at ISC West 2010 in Las Vegas

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:00:00 -0400

Visit Alvarion at ISC West March 23-26 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, booth #16127

Tel-Aviv, Israel, March 17, 2010 - Alvarion Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALVR), the world's leading provider of 4G WiMAX and wireless broadband solutions, today announced its plans to showcase a broad variety of licensed and license-exempt WiMAX solutions for telecom operators, WISPs, enterprises, public safety and utilities at ISC West 2010 in Las Vegas. At the event, Alvarion will highlight its latest wireless solutions and field-proven portfolio of devices that enable a variety of broadband applications for its customers.

Alvarion's broad portfolio of wireless solutions includes WiMAX products for licensed and license-exempt frequencies, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint license-exempt broadband wireless products, license-exempt backhaul products and a variety of devices that range from outdoor customer premise equipment (CPE) to indoor CPEs, USB dongles, embedded WiMAX notebooks and netbooks.

ISC West 2010, Las Vegas

Product Portfolio Highlights: Alvarion will showcase point-to-multipoint and point-to-point solutions for licensed and license-exempt frequencies tailored for vertical applications including video surveillance, public safety and enterprises. BreezeMAX® Extreme 5000 and 3650 base stations will be displayed in Alvarion's booth as well as in the ISC West New Product Showcase area. Alvarion will unveil new video centric features and capabilities for its wireless broadband portfolio specifically tailored for video surveillance applications:

- The new version of BreezeMAX Extreme, v1.5 base stations, maximizes wireless video connectivity with a new implementation of unique algorithms that assure high quality video streams in challenging network conditions. BreezeMAX Extreme is the industry's first WiMAX 802.16e solution for the 4.9 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. New multicast functionality allows multiple clients to receive video feed utilizing a single transmission stream over the air, saving considerable bandwidth consumption and improving the overall business case.

- The new BreezeNET® B10 solution - Video, designed for rapid wireless video surveillance links, offers plug-and-play functionality with new optimized bandwidth for uplink.

- The Video Power Supply (VPS) is a ruggedized, easy to install Power over Ethernet (PoE) device providing power to both the IP video surveillance camera and Alvarion's CPE. This product reduces installation costs dramatically.

Round Table Discussion: Alvarion will host an education session on Thursday, March 25 from 12:45- 2:45 p.m., Room 704, to discuss wireless broadband video surveillance with WiMAX. Monica Paolini, president of Senza Fili Consulting, will host a panel discussion with leading video surveillance distributors and Value Added Resellers (VARs) discussing the industry dynamics and wireless benefits. Alvarion will showcase a live demonstration of its cutting- edge wireless video surveillance solutions for the attendees.

If you are interested in setting up time to speak with Alvarion, please contact Jacqi Moore at jmoore@golinharris.com or 972.341.2514.

NEC, Tatung Launch Taiwanese WiMAX Networks

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:12:25 -0400

Tokyo, March 15, 2010 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leading network, communications and information technology company, announced today that Tatung InfoComm Co., Ltd. (Tatung) launched commercial WiMAX services in Taiwan utilizing a WiMAX system deployed by NEC.

These new commercial services were launched in Taiwan's southern prefecture of Pingdong and the eastern coastal prefecture of Hualian. Population coverage (outdoors) is above 80%. In addition to the mobile Internet access that these commercial services provide for general users, they are also expected to contribute to the support of network infrastructure for public services, including the medical and educational fields. In May 2010, similar services are also scheduled to launch in Gaoxiong prefecture, adjacent to Pingdong.

In recent years, NEC and Tatung have provided trial WiMAX services to public institutions as part of the "M-Taiwan Project", which promotes the construction of an advanced information oriented society and the cultivation of domestic industry. NEC's trial system met each of the project's demands, including base station capacity, high speed transmission/handoff and others. As a result of these trials, and as a participating operator/vendor in the M-Taiwan Project, NEC was officially authorized to launch commercial services.

In June 2008, NEC established the "WiMAX R&D Center" in Taiwan as part of the company's M-Taiwan Project activities. The center has carried out CPE vendor interoperability testing with NEC WiMAX base stations and terminals in preparation for NEC's commercial services. Furthermore, the center is open to the development and verification of application services by service providers and software vendors, which contributes to the cultivation of Taiwan's WiMAX and WiMAX related industries.

"Today's commercial services meet the requirements of the government's M-Taiwan Project and are a direct result of the cooperation between Tatung and NEC," said Don Lin, president of Tatung InfoComm Co., Ltd. "As a leader in the Taiwanese WiMAX market, we look forward to continuing our work with NEC to proactively expand our business domain."

"NEC is honored to have worked with Tatung towards the development of these commercial services," said Tadashi Ugajin, general manager, International Sales Division, NEC. "The launch of these services is an important first step in providing WiMAX technologies throughout Taiwan. Looking forward, NEC and Tatung aim to drive the continued growth of WiMAX services and to reinforce our cooperative business."

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is a leading provider 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.

About Tatung InfoComm Co., Ltd.
Tatung Infocomm is a WiMAX operator and affiliate of the "Tatung Group," a major Taiwanese conglomerate that carries out consumer electronics business, manufacturing and sale of LCDs and ISP business etc.

About the M-Taiwan Project
The M-Taiwan Project was launched in 2006 in order to promote the construction of an advanced information oriented society and the cultivation of domestic industry. The project's major elements include infrastructure based on wireless broadband application technologies, the promotion of WiMAX, its applications and WiMAX related industries.

Towerstream Inks Deal to Expand U.S. WiMAX Networks

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:49:18 -0400

High-speed wireless internet service provider Towerstream announced today that it and Sparkplug Communications Inc. have entered a definitive agreement for Towerstream to acquire certain business assets from Sparkplug Communications in a $1.6 million transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Towerstream will acquire Sparkplug Communications business assets operating in Chicago, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee including all customer contracts, network infrastructure, and related assets. The acquisition closing is subject to customary conditions and expected to close by the end of second quarter 2010.

"We’re looking forward to expanding our Chicago market as well as establish ourselves in Nashville. Our first acquisition in company history, this transaction will be accretive once fully integrated and moreover, reflects our company philosophy to explore opportunities in line with our business model and mission to enhance shareholder value," Towerstream's President and CEO Jeff Thompson said on his blog today.

Towerstream uses WiMAX technology in it's networks that provide high-speed access to 10 U.S. markets including Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Providence, Rhode Island where the company is based. Founded in 2000, they were the first carrier to be selected by the WiMAX forum.

Arizona-based Sparkplug is a broadband internet service provider covering major cities in seven U.S. states including Arizona, Nevada, Iowa and Colorado. Their main customers include enterprise, government and educational organizations.

Thompson says today's agreement has two major components for his company:

- The expansion of their Chicago customer base by 150% making it their third largest market

- The addition of a new market in Nashville, Tenn., making it their 11th market overall.

"We have been working diligently to identify acquisition opportunities which not only increase our scale but integrate with our focus on high-margin monthly recurring business," stated Thompson said in a release. "Sparkplug Communications was an ideal match for us with its strong base of satisfied customers and attractive infrastructure. We are excited about integrating Sparkplug's ten Points of Presence (PoPs) into our network and the significant number of new customer opportunities resulting from our expanded market coverage."

"Nashville is the 35th largest market in the country and its profile is very similar to Providence which was the first market that we launched approximately 10 years ago," added Thompson.

For more, see this video that accompanied today's release.

For a map of the regions covered by Towerstream's service, go here.

Pinyon's New Antenna Supports Global WiMAX Market

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:00:55 -0400

RENO, Nev., March 16 -- Pinyon Technologies, developer of unique antenna solutions based upon its patented AirWire® technology, today announced its WiMAX Tri Band antenna. The AirWire WiMAX Tri Band antennas cover all of the licensed spectrum profiles for WiMAX enabling OEM manufacturers to outfit their CPE for any WiMAX market around the world with the same antenna. AirWire WiMAX Tri Band antennas provide polar diversity, adding an additional degree of antenna diversity to a wireless system equipped with MIMO spatial diversity.

"Pinyon's patented resonant slot AirWire antenna is specifically designed to operate in noisy environments through polarization diversity," said Debashis Bagchi, Pinyon Technologies CEO. "Polarization diversity allows AirWire to capture horizontally polarized signals which most existing antennas ignore."

Pinyon's AirWire WiMAX Tri Band antennas can be customized for various form factors. These antennas cover the WiMAX spectrum profiles of 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz and maintain high gain across all the band profiles. They can also accommodate any connector type.

Pinyon's AirWire™ WiMAX Tri Band antenna polar diversity works to stabilize the link between the CPE and the WiMAX base station. Most collinear and dipole antennas, commonly used on CPE, only transmit and receive vertically polarized signals. AirWire WiMAX antenna's polar diversity uniquely overcomes this common shortcoming by detecting both horizontally and vertically polarized signals. Urban and indoor building environments produce horizontally polarized signal reflections that collinear or dipole antennas completely ignore. Ignoring these horizontally polarized reflections reduces the chances of establishing a stable radio link resulting in substantially reducing throughput.

About Pinyon Technologies
Headquartered in Reno, Nev., Pinyon Technologies develops, designs and commercially sells antenna solutions based upon a unique, patented AirWire technology. Pinyon's unique AirWire technology is designed for WiFi, WiMax, Bluetooth, UWB and mobile applications. Pinyon's robust AirWire technology is adaptable to other wireless applications as the technology is scalable to multiple frequencies. AirWire is well suited for applications that require high gain in a noisy multipath environment. Pinyon's business model consists of licensing as well as manufacturing and selling antennas as end products based on the application. AirWire enhances applications that require the following features: high efficiency to maximize gain, customizable for precise radiation pattern control, real time control for beam steering, current driven for scalability, and intrinsic band pass filtering to minimize noise. For more information, visit www.pinyontech.com

Clearwire's WiMAX Solutions Support South by Southwest Music and Interactive Festival

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:40:04 -0400

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mar 16, 2010 -- Clearwire Communications, LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation and provider of the nation’s largest 4G network, today announced the enhancement of its CLEAR 4G network in Austin in anticipation of the thousands of visitors that will descend on the city for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The CLEAR 4G network provides tech-savvy fans high-speed Internet access without the hassles of constrained 3G networks as has been experienced in the past at the popular music, film and interactive festival.

Visitors to this year’s SXSW festival can experience life in 4G when the CLEAR mobile showrooms arrive in Austin Mar. 17-20. The showrooms are outfitted as mobile studios and will feature live musical performances, webcasting and gaming all powered by CLEAR’s super fast mobile Internet technology, including laptops, Dell/Intel/Alienware video games, and webcasting equipment.

“This year’s festival goers can experience the full benefits of a truly mobile 4G broadband network, unlike in past years where the only available 3G networks were bogged down by increased volume generated by the influx of so many people to the Austin area,” said Keith Kay, director of regional sales and distribution for Clearwire in Texas. “In contrast, the CLEAR 4G network allows for much faster speeds and a richer customer experience as demonstrated in the mobile studios.”

The CLEAR Mobile Studio will host to an amazing lineup of bands and bloggers performing live and “unplugged” as they roll through the streets of Austin. All performances will be broadcast wirelessly over the super fast CLEAR 4G network. Go here to watch a live feed of all the action.

In addition, visitors can experience the latest in mobile gaming technology from CLEAR and Dell/Intel/Alienware at its Festival Village, located outside Waterloo Records.

Additional information about CLEAR 4G is available here.

About Clearwire

Clearwire Communications, LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation, offers a robust suite of advanced high-speed Internet services to consumers and businesses. As part of a multi-year network build-out plan, Clearwire’s 4G service, called CLEARTM, will be available in major metropolitan areas across the U.S., and bring together an unprecedented combination of speed and mobility. Clearwire’s open all-IP network, combined with significant spectrum holdings, provides unmatched network capacity to deliver next generation broadband access. Strategic investors include Intel Capital, Comcast, Sprint, Google, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. Clearwire currently provides 4G service, utilizing WiMAX technology, in 27 markets throughout the U.S. The company also provides pre-WiMAX communications services in 30 markets across the U.S. and a combination of other high-speed Internet and 4G services in five markets in Europe. Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., additional information about Clearwire is available at http://www.clearwire.com.

Gemtek Expects to Double WiMAX Shipments in 2010

ctownsend — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:24:10 -0400

Taiwanese equipment manufacture Gemtek expects to double is WiMAX shipments from 600,000 to 1.2 million units, according to managing Director Kevin Yang in an interview with Digitimes. Yang also noted that 70% of the projected WiMAX products will be shipped to India, Southeast Asia and other emerging markets and the remaining to North America.

802.16e Wave2 VoIP Gateway

Gemtek is a leading provider of Wireless Broadband solutions and manufactures a complete line of both indoor and outdoor WIMAX CPE devices. Gemtek is a principle member of the WiMAX Forum and has been developing WiMAX products since 2004. Its latest products are fully 802.16e wave 2 compliant and support both Matrix-A and Matrix-B MIMO technology.

Cosmoline Standardizes on Dragonwave for Backhaul in 4G Mobile WiMAX Deployment Across Greece

ctownsend — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:47:49 -0400

Horizon Compact and Horizon Quantum Selected to Provide Native-Ethernet Backhaul for Business, Residential and Government Services

Ottawa, Canada, March 15, 2010 - DragonWave Inc. (TSX: DWI; NASDAQ: DRWI) a leading global supplier of packet microwave radio systems for mobile and access networks, today announced that Cosmoline has selected DragonWave as its exclusive backhaul provider for a national 4G mobile WiMAX network across Greece. DragonWave's Horizon Compact and Horizon Quantum will deliver native-Ethernet backhaul across approximately 1,000 wireless links.

"The combination of Horizon Compact's all-outdoor form factor and robustness plus Horizon Quantum's unequalled capacity and spectral efficiency made this an easy decision to standardize on DragonWave for all of our backhaul needs," said Dimitris Politopoulos, chief executive officer, Cosmoline. "DragonWave offers a family of best-in-class products that affords us the flexibility to strategically evolve our network, extend our customers new services and achieve sustainable operating efficiencies."

Cosmoline, a wholly owned subsidiary of DEMCO Group founded in 1995, plans to migrate about 130,000 customers of traditional leased-line offerings to next-generation fixed wireless access for data, voice and video services. Deployment began in 2009 across Greece's two largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, and is continuing city by city to cover all major cities across the country. Cosmoline aims to convert its business, residential and government users to 4G mobile WiMAX services.

"We have developed a suite of packet microwave backhaul solutions that have successfully enabled service providers around the globe to undertake rapid, cost-effective expansion of geographic market coverage," said Peter Allen, president and CEO, DragonWave. "The Horizon Compact and Horizon Quantum deliver the high capacity, ultra-low latency and carrier-class reliability that Cosmoline will require as it rolls out its 4G mobile WiMAX services across more and more markets in Greece."

"Future Technologies Venture, LLC is honored to be partnered with DragonWave and Cosmoline on this opportunity. Through this project, Future Technologies has been able to expand their sales and engineering support of the DragonWave products into the European market," said Nino Canu, CEO and President of Future Technologies Venture, LLC.

DragonWave Horizon products operate in both licensed and unlicensed radio frequencies between 6 and 38 GHz. An uncompromised product design delivers pure "packet" microwave performance with software scalable, ultra-low latency transport of up to 2 Gbps per link. Extremely easy to deploy and manage, DragonWave products deliver carrier-grade (99.999%) interference-free performance in next-generation IP networks.

About Cosmoline

Cosmoline (www.cosmoline.com) has been providing innovative and highly usable telecommunication services to both individuals and companies throughout Greece since 1995. Today, as one of the most modern telecommunication service providers in the country and a member of DEMCO Group, one of the most prominent business groups in Greece, we demonstrate considerable dynamic growth offering fixed telephony, broadband Internet, data, and multimedia information services, as well as interconnection services to carriers. Obtaining a 3.5 GHz Band Fixed Wireless Access License covering all Greek territory in 2006, and the establishment of a new WiMAX technology network, the development of which began in 2009, the future of Cosmoline will be "wireless", aiming primarily at the development and provision of innovative services which will enable us to gain a dominant position in the Wireless Broadband Services market.

About Future Technologies Venture, LLC dba Future Technologies

Future Technologies is a Value Added Reseller and professional system integration company that specializes in emerging wireless technologies, such as WiMAX, LTE, licensed/unlicensed Point to Point Equipment, WiFi and Satellite communication equipment. Through this diverse product offering and Future Technologies extensive professional experience, Future Technologies can provide true end-to-end solutions for most Carrier, Enterprise and private network requirements.

About DragonWave

DragonWave® is a leading provider of high-capacity packet microwave solutions that drive next-generation IP networks. DragonWave's carrier-grade point-to-point packet microwave systems transmit broadband voice, video and data, enabling service providers, government agencies, enterprises and other organizations to meet their increasing bandwidth requirements rapidly and affordably. The principal application of DragonWave's products is wireless network backhaul. Additional solutions include leased line replacement, last mile fiber extension and enterprise networks. DragonWave's corporate headquarters is located in Ottawa, Ontario, with sales locations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. For more information, visit http://www.dragonwaveinc.com.

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

ctownsend — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:01:21 -0500

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

ctownsend — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:36:22 -0500

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

ctownsend — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:51:18 -0500

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

ctownsend — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:56:17 -0500

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

ctownsend — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:18:56 -0500

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

ctownsend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:03:03 -0500

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

ctownsend — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:12:12 -0500

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

ctownsend — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:22:30 -0500

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

ctownsend — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:17:50 -0500

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

ctownsend — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:06:04 -0500

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.

BSNL Launches First Urban WiMAX Network in India

ctownsend — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Indian telecom BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) brought a new mobile WiMAX network to one of the fastest growing mobile markets on the planet last week when it launched a commercial network in the population centers of Kerala, a state in southwest India. This is the first urban commercial 4G network in India.

BSNL plans to have up to 900 base stations across the state by the end of this rollout. Kerala is a densely populated state that is home to nearly 32 million Indians. 450 BTS are already being deployed in the major urban centers

BSNL has a WiMAX subscriber base of only 3,000, buy has laid out plans to reach 250,000 subscribers in the next 10 months.

The new service in Kerala will compliment BSNL's rural efforts across India. The plan in Kerala will give consumers two rate options starting at about $20 (USD) per month for a home plan and double that for a business plan.

BSNL is a state-owned telecom company with ventures in Wireline, CDMA Mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services among others.

A report out this week by Research and Markets says that wireless subscriber growth in India continues to be one of the fastest in the world with a rate near 50% industry-average subscriber growth in the third quarter of 2009. Analysts suggest that by 2014, India will have more than 1 billion wireless subscribers. Most of these will be on 3G networks, but the demand appears only to be growing in India for 4G and WiMAX technologies.

WiMAX equipment and device market up for third consecutive quarter, subscribers up 75% in 2009

ctownsend — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:46:50 -0500

London, UNITED KINGDOM, March 1, 2010 - Infonetics Research (http://twitter.com/infonetics) releases its fourth quarter (4Q09) WiMAX Equipment, Devices, and Subscribers market share and forecast report.

ANALYST NOTE

“The WiMAX market is coming out of the recession period strongly, posting three consecutive quarters of revenue growth for 802.16e equipment and devices. With Clearwire in the U.S. announcing strong quarterly results, Yota in Russia expanding rapidly, and others such as UQ in Japan being aggressive, the WiMAX business model seems to be working. Though we are still in the early days, WiMAX is proving to be a good fit in a range of broadband segments in developed as well as developing markets,” notes Richard Webb, directing analyst for WiMAX at Infonetics Research.

WIMAX MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

- Worldwide vendor revenue from 802.16d and 802.16e WiMAX network equipment and devices hit $1.08 billion in 2009, down 19% from 2008, as the market suffered the effects of the recession.
-However, 4Q09 was the third consecutive quarter of WiMAX equipment and device revenue growth, up 3% from 3Q09

-Quarterly revenue levels remain short of the pre-recession market highs of over $300 million seen in early 2008

-The WiMAX market is showing positive signs of steady growth from this year onward, with major rollouts underway in USA, Japan, Russia, and India

-Starting in 2011-2012, 802.16m WiMAX products are expected to be tested, certified, and commercially available, offering speeds comparable to LTE

-For the combined WiMAX equipment and device market, Motorola took the #1 spot in 2009, with 17% of worldwide revenue, just ahead of Alvarion

-Huawei showed the biggest growth in WiMAX equipment and device market share in 2009

-The number of WiMAX subscribers jumped 75% in 2009 to 6.8 million worldwide

REPORT SYNOPSIS

Infonetics’ quarterly WiMAX report provides market size, market share, forecasts, and analysis for 802.16d, 802.16e, and 802.16m network equipment, devices, and subscribers, including macro, micro, and pico base stations; CPE; ASN gateways; home agents; phones; netbooks; external broadband cards; and WiMAX and WiMAX VoIP subscribers.

Companies tracked: Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Aperto, Aviat, Cisco, GreenPacket, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, NEC, Nokia Siemens, POSDATA, Proxim, Redline, RuggedCom, Samsung, Tellabs, Vecima, ZTE, ZyXEL, and others.

The report features a Service Provider WiMAX Deployment tracker following more than 300 service providers with live WiMAX services, network rollouts in progress, and trials underway, tracked by region, country, network, subscribers, and announced vendors.

MORE INFORMATION

Log in or join: http://www.infonetics.com/login. From the portal, go to RESEARCH, then MOBILE AND WIRELESS.

SALES

Larry Howard, Vice President: larry@infonetics.com, +1 (408) 583-3335.
Scott Coyne, Senior Account Director, Eastern North America, Europe, Middle East: scott@infonetics.com, +1 (408) 583-3395.

CLIENT CONFERENCE CALL

Clients are encouraged to participate in an interactive conference call with WiMAX market report highlights led by analyst Richard Webb on March 3, 8:00 a.m. Pacific. Log on to the portal for access information.

Sprint Announces Aggressive 4G Marketing Push

ctownsend — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:52:47 -0500

Following quickly on the heels of Clearwire's 2009 earnings report and 2010 rollout plans, Sprint is out with a new marketing blitz that pushes consumers to "stretch their minds" and picture a network that is 10 times faster than 3G. This 4G, or WiMAX network is being aggressively pursued by Sprint and it's partner Clearwire this year.

The campaign, which will be seen on TV, online, in print and "experimental" formats, answers it's own question by showing real-world uses for 4G including but not limited to:
- downloading music on the go
- fast streaming of video on mobile devices, from services like Hulu
- gaming online at the same speed as a basic cable or DSL wired connection
- web-surfing up to 10x faster than 3G

And all of this without hooking into public Wi-Fi hotspots. The anchor of their campaign relies on Sierra Wireless' Overdrive(TM) 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot which provides a wireless signal that can connect up to five Wi-Fi devices at once.

The ad campaign features an update to their microsite (left) and focuses on Sierra Wireless' Overdrive Mobile Hotspot.

The national TV spot will introduce us to a man who streams movies while waiting at the airport, participates in a videoconference while having dinner at a restaurant and then wirelessly plays games with four buddies around a campfire.

"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."

Earlier this week, Sprint and Clearwire both announced their plans to rapidly expand their WiMAX efforts into several high-profile U.S. markets including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Sprint's hometown of Kansas City, with the hopes of covering 120 million people by the end of 2010.

BVS Opens India Sales Office to Meet WiMAX Growth

ctownsend — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:25:03 -0500

The widespread growth of WiMAX in India has prompted Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS) to open a sales office in Pune, India. This centrally located city is known for IT and wireless technologies influenced by several nearby colleges and universities. BVS has been awarded numerous large contracts throughout India including several Yellowfin 802.16e analyzers and Tortoise high power transmitters for the current WiMAX build-out already underway. Sandeep Natekar will be the India Sales Manager responsible for sales and local customer support.

"For the past five years Sandeep has been working at BVS' headquarters in, New Jersey, USA but his multilingual capability and background in wireless software development make him an ideal choice for supporting our expanding customer base throughout India, " said BVS President and CEO Scott Schober.

About Berkeley Varitronics Systems
Berkeley Varitronics Systems, located in Metuchen, New Jersey, has been providing advanced wireless solutions and products to the domestic and international wireless telecommunications industry for over 37 years. Since 1995, BVS has introduced over 50 unique wireless test devices for a variety of applications including the popular Cellular, iDEN, PCS, CDMA, RFID, LTE, Mobile WiMAX, FIXED WiMAX, 802.11b/a/n/g & Bluetooth specifications. BVS test equipment now enjoy international markets comprised of 40 countries spread across the Asian, European, Australian, Middle Eastern, Canadian, South American territories. For more information about BVS, visit www.bvsystems.com.

The Berkeley Varitronics Systems logo, names and logos and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc. All other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Mobiserve Rolls Out WiMAX On Rails in Dubai

ctownsend — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:02:11 -0500

Commuters on the world's longest wholly automated rail transport in Dubai can now have a true mobile WiMAX experience since Cairo-based Mobiserve completed the region's first mobile WiMAX network.

The WiMAX network, installed on behalf of UAE operator du, provides commuters, seamless Internet access on all Wi-Fi enabled devices. Commuters with smart phones, PDAs, and laptops, can enjoy uninterrupted broadband connectivity at station terminals and while traveling on metro cars at speeds up to 56 mph (90 kph). Mobiserve envisions the adoption of advanced connectivity technologies such as WiMAX for the transport industry will become increasingly prevalent in the region.

Work on the network, which included more than 20 stations across the UAE capitol, began in June 2009 and was completed within three months. Mobiserve's completion of the WiMAX network included build out, installation, core switch installation, testing and optimization across over ground and underground metro sites including the world's largest underground station, Union Square, and connected shopping malls such as the Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, and Ibn Battuta Mall.

Artist rendering of Dubai Metro train before construction.

Sameh Atalla, Mobiserve CEO noted, "The UAE is undergoing a real evolution in transport by giving commuters truly mobile Internet while traveling on the go. Other countries in the region can readily adopt similar WiMAX networks. Egypt for instance, can quickly upgrade their transport infrastructure with such technologies to provide next generation connectivity for its citizens. "

Mobiserve's recent installation strengthens its market leading position in telecom infrastructure engineering, and is among one of the many signature projects Mobiserve has recently implemented for Middle East telecom operators. The Cairo based UAE company, has partnered with a host of the region's leading operators to quickly and cost effectively deploy next generation networks, upgrade and expand telecommunications infrastructures, and provide maintenance services on their behalf. The company distinguishes itself with its deep seated expertise in a range of telecom and connectivity technologies including, 3G, WiMAX, and VSAT.

Mobiserve is the region's leading turnkey telecommunications infrastructure solutions provider having deployed over 8,500 sites since 1999. The company boasts extensive field experience across three continents and is represented in 9 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

Dell Adds WiMAX to Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook

ctownsend — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:40:38 -0500

In a move showing continued interest in WiMAX technology, Dell announced last week that they've added to their growing list of laptops with WiMAX connectivity. Consumers can now get this option on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 according to Dell's chief blogger Lionel Menchaca in a post last week.

For a $60 upgrade to the $279 (base price) laptop, you will get an internal combo card that can connect to WiMAX or Wi-Fi via 802.11a/g or n. On the Wi-Fi side, the 2x2 card supports enhanced 802.11n access. The Mini 10 joins its bigger siblings, Studio, Vostro and Latitude in offering WiMAX connectivity. Menchaca calls this "a natural fit for a Mini customer who wants portability plus easy connectivity to the web on the go."

Menchaca himself is impressed with WiMAX noting on the Direct2Dell blog, "In areas where WiMAX is supported, this means you can connect to the web while riding in a car, outside walking around in your neighborhood, or even on the side of the road. Besides not having to find a hotspot, the mobile download speeds are fast. To put it in perspective, I'm able to get around 8Mbps from my driveway. Rock on."

Dell appears to be clearly interested in a mobile market that is currently being pushed in the U.S. by Clearwire, with its partner Sprint. They currently offer 4G WiMax service in 27 U.S. markets, covering 30 million people. The WiMAX operator’s expansion plans this year include service to additional metro markets, including New York, Houston and the San Francisco Bay area, with plans of covering up to 120 million people by year’s end.

7Netlayers Telecom Launches WiMAX Network in Kurdistan, Iraq

ctownsend — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

National operator picks Huawei for Mobile wireless broadband services to enterprises in Kurdistan.

Feb. 20, 2010 - 7Netlayers Telecom, an Iraq national telecom operator, has launched the first Mobile wireless broadband WiMAX network in Iraq, Kurdistan-Erbil. 7Netlayers Telecom will use WiMAX complete solution from Huawei Technology. The $10 million project aims to provide broadband Internet services to 6 million Iraqi citizens in Kurdistan.

The Mobile wireless network offers several new Broadband internet services for the student, small and mid-sized enterprise (SME) sector and large enterprise organizations. The WiMAX service will allow provisions of up to about 18 Mbps per sector in the three sector base stations that 7netlayers uses.

7Netlayers was established in 2008 by a group of Iraq/Kurdish and Lebanese investors whose vision was to deliver cutting edge technology and state-of-the-art interconnectivity solutions to the corporate industry and to the growing needs of consumers in Iraq-Kurdistan. Even though 7Netlayers obtained its license in 2007, it was not until May 2009 that it started its operations and launched commercial services in January 2010 using the latest WiMAX 208.16e mobile technology to deliver the Mobile Broadband Wireless Access.

Sequans Technology Selected for Major WiMAX Deployment in India

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:00:27 -0500

French-based WiMAX chipmaker Sequans announced this week that they've been picked to supply WiMAX chips to PointRed Telecom, the product design subsidiary of India's Gemini Communications. PointRed recently was awarded 40% of the contract from state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)for an Indian WiMAX network deployment. WiMAX equipment providers Alvarion and ZTE are also involved.

Once deployed, BSNL's multi-state network promises to be the largest in the world with 7,000 base stations delivering commercial broadband and e-governance services across several Indian states.

"The market for WiMAX in India is huge, and we are very pleased to work with PointRed on this network deployment that will bring broadband service to millions - it is a major opportunity to demonstrate the power and utility of WiMAX," said Georges Karam, CEO, Sequans, in an announcement from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Sequans is providing WiMAX semiconductor solutions to PointRed for several WiMAX devices, including USB dongles, simple WiMAX modems, Wi-Fi/WiMAX/VoIP modems, and outdoor units.

Sequans' new generation technology, the SQN1200 series of single die WiMAX semiconductor solutions, is based on state-of-the-art 65nm technology. It delivers the highest level of integration yet achieved in the WiMAX industry, resulting in dramatically reduced, size, cost and power consumption, according to company officials. SQN1200 series chips deliver maximum throughput of more than 40 Mbps with extremely low power consumption of less than 350 mW in active mode and less than 0.5 mW in standby. The integrated RF covers all three global WiMAX bands, 2.3, 2.5, and 3.5 GHz and supports both TDD and H-FDD.

PointRed is a leading wireless product design company and over the last decade has shipped its products to 45 countries for more than 120 mobile operators worldwide. The company is based in Bangalore India.

Motorola Wins Second WiMAX Contract in Taiwan

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:57:42 -0500

Taiwanese telecom operator, First International Telecom (FiTEL) awarded a second contract with Motorola's Networks business to deploy a WiMAX network in the northern part of Taiwan. In 2008, Motorola first contracted with FiTEL to deploy basestations in the downtown are of Taipei as part of a government initiative to create a city-wide wireless broadband network.

This second step will allow FiTEL to launch commercial high-speed mobile data services based out of Hsinchu City, southwest of the capitol Taipei. For Motorola's part, they will expand on their earlier involvement by designing, supplying and deploying a comprehensive turnkey WiMAX network, according to Motorola officials. Part of the company's solutions will include the deployment of their WAP 450 base stations.

In December, FiTEL and Motorola agreed to the purchase of base stations and other equipment as FiTEL continued it's rollout of WiMAX networks on this Asian island. Motorola has deployed WiMAX networks for three of the six operators who have acquired WiMAX licenses in Taiwan.

"We are impressed by Motorola's advanced WiMAX solutions and their dedicated and professional servicing team," said FiTEL's chairwoman Min Yu Chang. "They ensure a fast and smooth deployment of such a sophisticated network."

Mobile WiMAX Subscriber Numbers Surpass Fixed for the First Time

ctownsend — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:48:26 -0500

4.73 million BWA/WiMAX subscribers reached in Q3 2009

MONTREAL, Canada and BARCELONA, Spain, February 16th, 2010 – 4.73 million active BWA/WiMAX subscribers were reached by the end of Q3 2009, and for the first time, the number of mobile WiMAX (802.16e-2005) subscribers surpassed the number of fixed WiMAX (802.16-2004) subscribers worldwide, according to the 10th issue of the 4GCounts Quarterly Report from Maravedis.

WiMAX embedded devices are slowly growing their share of the installed base.“77% of CPEs installed in Q3 2009 were indoor CPEs with over 3.6 million units, followed by USB dongles (595,000 units or 13%) and, PCMCIA cards (244,000 units or 5%),” said Cintia Garza, co-author of the report and 4GCounts team leader.

On the LTE side, the second half of 2009 showed progress in terms of new LTE operator commitments – 51 by the end of the quarter – but also in terms of device certification scheme and the chipset development.

“Although dual mode devices including GSM, EVDO, and LTE are not yet commercially available, the first engineering samples of dual-mode chipsets were shipped in early 2009. Devices will become available in the second half of 2010 for dongles/embedded applications, but not until 2011 for handsets and lower power devices such as MiFi WiFi routers,” commented Esteban Monturus, 4GCounts analyst for Europe.

THIS QUARTER’S SUMMARY FINDINGS

- The average residential and business ARPU generated among operators during Q3 2009 across all regions was US$41 and US$121, respectively.

- BWA/WiMAX base station sectors installed as of Q3 2009 totaled 201,355 – an increase of 25% from 160,882 the previous quarter.

- 85% of WiMAX operators offer unlimited data usage compared to 41% of 3G operatorsThat proportion will gradually decrease as operators look for new ways to manage data consumption.

4GCounts is a unique web-based service tracking 4G operator deployments and providing detailed information on the worldwide 4G ecosystem 4GCounts currently profiles over 200 operators across 92 countries.

MARAVEDIS is a leading analyst firm focusing on disruptive technologies including smart networks using WiMAX, IEEE, and 3GPP/LTEWiMAX.com Maravedis works with system and service providers, vendors, regulators, and institutional investors.

WiMAX On Track to Cover More Than 800 Million People Worldwide by End of 2010, and 1 Billion by 2011

ctownsend — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:15:40 -0500

Current WiMAX Network Deployments Reach 555 Networks in 147 Countries

PORTLAND, Ore.- February 15, 2010 - The WiMAX Forum® today revealed that WiMAX service providers now offer networks covering more than 620 million people (or POPS) in approximately 147 countries and are on pace to surpass the already forecasted 800 million POPs by end of 2010. In addition, the WiMAX Forum expects this number to surpass one billion by the end of 2011, which is approximately the time competitive 4G technologies are expected to begin early commercialization.

“WiMAX has huge potential in Indonesia, where only four percent of its 240 million population has access to fixed-line infrastructure and less two million have broadband access”

“WiMAX networks continue to expand at a very healthy pace despite challenges from the slowly recovering global economy,” said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum. “These new deployment numbers and population statistics demonstrate that the WiMAX ecosystem has strong momentum for the start of the New Year and will continue to meet the global market demand for high-speed broadband access in developed and emerging regions.”

By region, WiMAX Forum research uncovered the following:

- Asia Pacific leads with more than 237 million POPS and 100 network deployments.
- Central/Latin America has reached 113 million POPs and 109 deployments.
- Africa/Middle East covers more than 108 million POPs with 142 deployments.
- Europe covers 115 million people with 153 deployments.
- North American coverage has increased to 47 million POPS with 51 deployments.

“Clearwire plans to continue rolling out our 4G network to additional markets in 2010 with the launch of service in several large metro areas, including New York, Houston and the San Francisco Bay area – ultimately reaching up to 120 million people by the end of 2010,” said Ali Tabassi, senior vice president of global ecosystem and standards for Clearwire Corporation and WiMAX Forum Board member. “The expansion of our footprint will help meet the pent up demand for true mobile broadband in the U.S. and allow us to continue to serve as a global resource for best practices in 4G network development around the world.”

Adoption of WiMAX in Europe continues to grow thanks to an increase in spectrum allocations made in 2009. For example, Ireland is a perfect market for WiMAX due to its low broadband penetration rate. Imagine gained access to 3.4/3.6mHz spectrum in Q3 2009 and quickly started building a national network in Ireland. The company launched commercial services last month and has already been successful with thousands migrating to WiMAX. In Q2 2010, it will expand its offerings to deliver nomadic WiMAX services via dual mode WiMAX/HSPA dongles and embedded laptops. Imagine expects to have 60 percent of the Irish population covered by the end of 2010 and its national deployment finished in 2012.

In February 2009, the WiMAX Forum originally projected that WiMAX technology would reach 800 million POPs by the end of 2010. The increases in coverage footprints by the end of 2009 are proof that this number continues to track to meet or exceed these previous estimates. This February 2009 projection does not account for potential growth WiMAX will experience once spectrum is auctioned in India and networks are deployed in the Philippines as well as Indonesia.

“WiMAX has huge potential in Indonesia, where only four percent of its 240 million population has access to fixed-line infrastructure and less two million have broadband access,” said Basharat Ashai, an analyst with Maravedis “4GCounts Team”. “Recently, 73 telecom companies participated in an auction that yielded only eight winners and many of those operators plan to deploy in 1H 2010.”

A main driver of WiMAX growth in 2010 will be the increase in consumer products coming to market, including tri-band smart phones and feature phones capable of global roaming. More than 178 Mobile WiMAX Certified products achieved certification in 2009 and ten products were certified in January 2010. Currently, more than 25 WiMAX Forum member companies manufacture WiMAX base stations and 45 WiMAX Forum member companies are CPE and end user device suppliers. The WiMAX Forum estimates that by 2011 there will be more than 1,000 Mobile WiMAX Forum Certified™ products commercially available.

About WiMAX Forum®

The WiMAX Forum® is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization formed to certify and promote the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon the harmonized IEEE 802.16e/ETSI HiperMAN standard. A WiMAX Forum goal is to accelerate the introduction of these systems into the marketplace.

WiMAX Forum Certified products are interoperable and support broadband fixed, nomadic, portable and mobile services. Along these lines, the WiMAX Forum works closely with service providers and regulators to ensure that WiMAX Forum Certified systems meet customer and government requirements. Through the WiMAX Forum Congress Events Series of global trade shows and events, the WiMAX Forum is committed to furthering education, training and collaboration to expand the reach of the WiMAX ecosystem. For more information, visit the trade show link at www.wimaxforum.org.

Comsys Mobile and HelloSoft announce low cost Android WiMAX, GSM/EDGE, WiFi Trimode Reference Design

ctownsend — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:13:26 -0500

Trimode Reference Design uses HelloSoft's Titan Android VoIP and Convergence Software on HS100 and Comsys Mobile's Award-winning ComMAX®CM1125 Multimode WiMAX/GSM Chipset

February 15, 2010, Barcelona: - Comsys Mobile and HelloSoft have announced a low cost Android WiMAX, GSM and WiFi reference design at the 2010 Mobile World Congress. The design features the combination of HelloSoft's award winning VoIP and convergence client suite for Android running on the low cost HS100 IP Convergence Processor combined with Comsys Mobile's award-winning ComMAX® CM1125, the industry's only multimode WiMAX/GSM communication processor, which has recently completed Clearwire's iIOT testing.

"There is a strong market demand for low cost Android multimode WiMAX/GSM phones" commented Ronny Gorlicki, Comsys Mobile's EVP Sales. "The combined reference design using HelloSoft's Android VoIP Convergence Software Suite and HS100 IP Convergence Processor with WiFi together with the Comsys Mobile CM1125 WiMAX/GSM-EDGE provides a compelling feature set at very competitive price point. The design allows ODM/OEMs to bring to market quickly phones and other low cost wireless devices. This product category addresses a significant market need in both emerging markets and mature markets where GSM is essential in the handsets and 4G capabilities bring unheard of high-speed wireless data on-the-go to mobile users."

Allan Johnson, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at HelloSoft says, "WiMAX service providers around the world have been seeking a low bill of materials 4G handset with Android and GSM and the reference design with Comsys combines HelloSoft's award winning VoIP and Convergence Suite for Android, the first complete solution of its kind for Android with HelloSoft's ultra low power IP Convergence Processor to deliver both mobile high speed 4G data capability together with the ubiquitous coverage of GSM at a very attractive price point. WiMAX has to date been largely focused on providing high speed wireless data coverage but when combined with HelloSoft's VoIP over WiMAX Android solution, VoIP over WiMAX with QoS offers a very attractive value proposition and additional revenue stream to service providers. Providing a turn-key design to ODMs and OEMs allowing rapid time to market is the key."

Comsys Mobile contact:
Annette Davis
Phone: +972-9-971-7871
Email: annette.davis@comsysmobile.com

About Comsys Mobile

Comsys Mobile is a fabless semiconductor vendor specializing in communication processors for 4G mobile devices.

The ComMAX® line provides comprehensive multimode solutions optimized for low power and small footprint requirements, supporting 2G-4G standards such as GSM/EDGE, mobile WiMAX, and 3GPP-LTE. ComMAX chipsets come with reference designs incorporating complete pre-integrated ecosystem for accelerated time-to-market and reduced development costs.

Comsys Mobile's advanced solutions provide exceptional performance, supporting multi-radio coexistence for service continuity and enhanced user experience.

For more information, please visit our website at www.comsysmobile.com

About HelloSoft

HelloSoft is the world's leading provider of VOIP and convergence technologies. The company enables mass deployment of low-cost, power-efficient, full-featured multi-mode wireline and wireless devices though its convergence chip and highly optimized and comprehensive VOIP, IMS, VCC and DSC software products with superior voice quality, QoS, and efficient call/data session switching specifically designed for next generation end-points. The comprehensive portfolio of award winning products enables OEMs, ODMs and semiconductor manufacturers to deliver convergence products with a short time to market schedule.

HelloSoft is headquartered in San Jose, California with an R&D facility in Hyderabad, India. HelloSoft's customers include top semiconductor manufacturers, Original Device Manufacturers (ODMs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) globally, including Skype, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Accton, Toshiba, Wistron NeWeb Corp, Panasonic, Orange, Jajah, BenQ and 5V Technologies. HelloSoft's partners include Sonus, Tango, Newstep, ARC, ARM, Texas Instruments, Intel, Microsoft and Symbian. www.hellosoft.com