ZyXEL and Sequans, ZyXEL’s chosen chip supplier, have announced that their collaboration in providing an advanced Mobile WiMAX device to Sprint will debut with the launch of Sprint’s highly anticipated Xohm network this year. The Sequans-based ZyXEL device is an integrated access design that will enable Sprint to offer its Xohm Internet mobile services.
     “ZyXEL and Sequans are both noteworthy Mobile WiMAX technology suppliers and we are delighted to have the leading edge ZyXEL device debut with our Xohm network,” said Bin Shen, VP of broadband for Sprint Nextel. “The ZyXEL and Sequans device collaboration is helping us to meet time-to-market and service innovation requirements.”
     “Sequans is an immensely innovative company and has matched our passion in developing leading edge, high-performance WiMAX devices on an aggressive schedule,” said Munira Brooks, ZyXEL’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Together we share with Sprint a common goal to mobilize the Internet and we’re looking forward to the successful launch of their service.”
     “Our extensive private and public interoperability testing experience, including participation in WiMAX Forum certification testing and all WiMAX Forum PlugFests, has enabled us to accelerate our test’ VP of marketing and business development.
     Sequans and ZyXEL are part of Sprint’s Mobile WiMAX ecosystem and the two are participating in Sprint’s interoperability testing. Subscriber devices from ZyXEL and other manufacturers, along with leading RAN vendors including Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia-Siemens, form the core of Sprint’s WiMAX ecosystem.
     The ZyXEL MAX-206m2 device is a 4G modem/router targeted for commercial release in the second quarter of 2008. It delivers high speed Internet access wirelessly with built-in residential gateway functions in an elegant form factor.
     The ZyXEL MAX-206m2 device was on display at 2008 International CES in ZyXEL’s booth, number 27023, Hall 2 south, and in the Mobile and WiMAX Tech Zone at the Sands Expo, booth number 72404, January 7-10, Las Vegas.
     ZyXEL Communications, Inc., with corporate headquarters in Taiwan, is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of broadband networking and Internet connectivity/routing products.
     ZyXEL is focused on developing MSAPs, xDSL DSLAMs / modems / gateways, cable access, broadband-sharing, VoIP, wireless and security solutions for a large target audience including Telcos, cable operators, ISPs, small-to-medium sized businesses, SOHO, residential and institutional MxU (multi-tenant unit/multi-dwelling unit) markets.
     Some of ZyXEL’s largest customers include: Sprint, Time Warner, Charter, Earthlink, Chunghwa Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telefónica Brazil, Telia, Verizon and many others.
     Sequans Communications is a leading supplier of subscriber station and base station chips for both fixed and mobile WiMAX, based on IEEE 802.16-2004 and 802.16e-2005 standards.
     Sequans offers equipment manufacturers an all-in-one solution with full MAC and PHY functionality, enabling them to build a wide range of high performing WiMAX network components: femto, pico, micro and multi-sector macro base stations, outdoor and indoor subscriber terminals, home gateways, and all types of mobile devices. For additional information about the company, visit www. sequans.com.

Dasan chooses Auvitek demodulator for deployment in Megapass TV STB

     Auvitek, a leader in ATSC receiver/channel decoder ICs, and Dasan, Korea’s leading supplier of broadband access equipment, announced today that Korea Telecom’s Megapass FTTH service is being widely deployed utilizing Dasan’s IPTV set-top box incorporating Auvitek’s AU8522 ATSC/NTSC/QAM demodulator.
     The IPTV market in Korea is exploding and is expected to reach 6M subscribers by 2010. Korea Telecom’s market leading broadband service known as Megapass TV provides broadband services at data rates of up to 50Mb/s. Megapass TV uses FTTH as the WAN connection and enables a multitude of services including real time broadcast of HDTV programming, video-on-demand and a host of interactive services. One of the key differentiators is the “Broadcast Quality” of HD programming, which enables live viewing of HD channels off-the-air without affecting the bandwidth utilization on the network. This not only preserves full bandwidth for commercial services, but also provides consumers with broadcast quality HDTV programming. The main criteria in the selection of the ATSC receiver are consistent performance across diverse conditions and locations as well as overall system power and cost. “With Auvitek’s high-performance AU8522, we are able to provide a crystal clear, error free, broadcast quality HD programming to the consumer; and it is done without any impact on the network bandwidth,” said DASAN Marketing Director James Park.
     “We are honored to be selected by Korea Telecom and Dasan for deployment in the Megapass service,” said Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch. “As availability of HDTV content continues to expand, the burden on the ‘pipe,’ be it DSL or cable or satellite, will continue to grow. A high-quality off-air receiver solution, such as being utilized by Dasan, will alleviate the burden and open up bandwidth for many new, exciting services.”
     The Auvitek AU85xx family of ATSC demodulator solutions is shipping today in a wide range of end products for both the consumer electronic and personal computer markets, including IP-STBs, digital TVs, PCI cards, and USB TV sticks.
     Megapass is the flagship high-speed broadband service of KT, currently providing broadband rates up to 50 mbps, the highest speed among all broadband services in Korea. For their new Megapass TV offering, KT intends to use fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), a fiber-optics deployment that is carried all the way to the customer’s home. FTTH is a more upgraded version than the existing copper-line-based ADSL service, ensuring a safer connection and serving as a bridge to the next generation telecom broadcasting convergence services, such as internet protocol television (IPTV).
     The new Megapass TV will feature a multitude of services, including live television, pay per view, high definition content, video-on-demand, and a host of interactive services. Video-on-demand is expected to be one of the most compelling aspects of the service and will offer more than 2,500 titles for consumer selection. KT started shipping the box with the Megapass TV service from the third quarter of this year.