ICT market intelligence this month: Tracking WiMAX trends
WiMAX Forum announces first mobile WiMAX certified products
The WiMAX Forum announced at WiMAX Forum Congress Asia 2008 earlier this month that the first eight Mobile WiMAX products received the WiMAX Forum Certified Seal of Approval following rigorous testing to ensure that each product meets strict interoperability and conformance to standards.
The 2.3 GHz frequency band products, including four base station and four subscriber unit modules, that achieved WiMAX certification are from WiMAX Forum member companies POSDATA, Runcom Technologies Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co., LTD and Sequans Communications. Each of the newly certified products is on display at WiMAX Forum Asia Congress 2008.
“Mobile WiMAX Certification is now real and this milestone is proof the industry is following through on its commitment to deliver Mobile WiMAX infrastructure,” said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum, during a press conference from the show floor in Singapore. “With the first group of Mobile WiMAX certified products now available, we have delivered on our promise to ensure that WiMAX products are interoperable and that operators have the certified equipment and devices to begin delivering mobile broadband services that consumers want. Stay tuned. We expect this momentum to continue throughout the year when the first products for the 2.5 GHz frequency achieve certification in the coming months.’
The products were certified in collaboration with the WiMAX Forum’s lead certification testing laboratory, AT4 wireless, in Malaga, Spain, and members of the Telecommunications Technology Association’s (TTA) IT Testing & Certification Lab from Seoul, Korea.
“AT4 wireless is very proud and satisfied; achieving Mobile WiMAX certification for the 2.3 GHz profile is an important milestone for the WiMAX Forum and the technology itself,” said Luis Fernando Martinez, AT4 wireless general director. “It is the result of the team work of many companies. That is why AT4 wireless, as the WiMAX Forum lead laboratory, would like to thank all the test equipment vendors, validation companies, BS/SS vendors and testing labs involved.”
Laird Technologies releases new 90-degree dual slant WiMax base station antenna
Laird Technologies, a global leader in the design and supply of customized performance-critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, has announced its new 90-Degree Dual Slant 45 WiMax Base Station Antenna.
Laird Technologies utilized state-of-the-art design tools to design the 2.5GHz 90-degree dual slant 45 antenna to be fully compliant with ETSI EN 301.525 CS pattern specifications.
The antenna is also ideal for Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) and MIMO applications.
This new high-performance antenna operates across the 2.3 ~ 2.7GHz frequency band and offers a maximum null fill (-25 degree) feature to help eliminate dead spots below the antenna. A high 16dBi gain extends area coverage.
The WiMax base station antenna’s many features include low side lobe performance, excellent front-to-back ratio, and high-level co-located antenna-to-antenna isolation.
The result is a precise antenna pattern that minimizes interference and provides a cleaner signal."
In addition, rugged tilt-mount hardware offers convenience and a very cost-effective product.
Laird Technologies recently established a growing position in the design and supply of complete radio frequency (RF) modules and systems.
These performance-critical products, co-designed in conjunction with customers, are essential in enabling and protecting the functionality of electronic devices and wireless applications.
Custom products are supplied to all sectors of the electronics industry including the telecommunications, data transfer and information technology, as well as the automotive, aerospace, defense, consumer, medical, and industrial markets.
“Our new antenna is ideal for MRC and MIMO applications that require range and capacity enhancement for wireless wide area networks,” said Tinu Oza, Laird Technologies’ product manager.
“We expect the antenna’s highly predictable pattern and consistent performance will be appreciated by operators deploying WiMax mobile and fixed applications,” added Oza.
Veraz & ZyXEL deliver end-to-end mobile WiMAX solution
Veraz Networks has certified ZyXEL, a top provider of complete broadband access solutions for service providers, as well as business and home users, as a “Deployment-ready” member of the Veraz Open Solution Alliance (VOSA). Together, the Veraz ControlSwitch and ZyXEL’s multi-service access node (MSAN) and integrated access devices (IADs) deliver a turnkey solution for operators seeking to grow new revenues and manage operating costs when deploying IP-based telephony services.
Operators are seeking ways to quickly roll out new services through both IP access devices (IADs, WiMAX IADs, soft clients) and existing POTS terminals. New multimedia services required by end users can only be delivered with an IMS solution equipped with end-to-end SIP signaling. The Veraz ControlSwitch and ZyXEL’s CPE devices are providing an integrated, easily deployable, all SIP-based solution that enables providers around the world to quickly capitalize on new services. The Veraz/ZyXEL joint solution is already deployed in a tier-one carrier in Europe and in trial with a large incumbent carrier in Asia. The Veraz ControlSwitch provides operators with an extremely cost-effective switching solution, and broad interoperability due to its IMS standards-compliance. The Veraz Open Service Broker enables easy deployment of new services across access equipment. The ZyXEL access equipment----the IES5000 M/ST (Multi Service Access Node) equipped with VoIP Line Cards, ADSL Line Cards, and Management Switch Cards, and the P2302R-P1C, CPE equipment with rich call features, advanced quality of service, and built-in auto-provisioning server----enables a unified services experience across a multitude of access technologies (POTS, ADSL+, VDSL2, G.SHDSL) and also the most recent mobile WiMAX, while simplifying carrier deployments and shortening services adoption time at the end user side.
“ZyXEL is a leader in CPE and a recognized pioneer in enabling mobile WiMAX access,” said Francesca Puggioni, head of Corporate Business Development in Veraz Networks. “The ZyXEL fully IMS-compliant product line offers our customers an optimal, future-proof investment to capitalize on new services.”
WiFi, mobile WiMAX single-chip developed
GCT Semiconductor has announced the world’s first highly integrated single-chip solution, GDM7215, supporting mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e WAVE 2) and WiFi (802.11b/g). GDM7215 implements mobile WiMAX RF/MAC/PHY and WiFi RF/MAC/PHY on a monolithic die.
Samples are now being provided to alpha customers and production will begin in the third quarter of this year.
GDM7215 supports multimode wireless connectivity with its on-chip RF transceivers, allowing seamless broadband and local wireless roaming. Based on GCT’s industry-proven CMOS RF technology, the new GDM7215 integrates WiMAX and WiFi radios, a high performance ARM9 RISC processor along with a 32-bit uniscalar DSP, and a full range of advanced interfaces for network, storage, and audio/visual device applications.
GDM7215 supports all the essential features of mobile WiMAX for the 2 GHz band, including implementation of MISO (two receivers and a single transmitter) and Category-4 H-ARQ (Hybrid automatic repeat-request). It also fully supports WiFi (802.11 b/g) functionality including advanced power management and coexistence support. Due to its optimized design and unique architecture, GDM7215 provides a best-in-class solution for power consumption, size, and multi-mode WiFi/WiMAX connectivity. The low power consumption and robust coexistence scheme eases development of highly compact modules needed by portable and mobile applications.
GDM7215 was designed to be an easy (hardware and software) upgrade for GDM7205 which is GCT’s WiMAX-only (2.5GHz IEEE 802.16e WAVE 2) single-chip device that was announced in September 2007 and is now in production.
For more information, visit www.gctsemi.com.
