BARCELONA, Spain -
The WiMAX Forum today announced that 28 Mobile WiMAX products in the 2.3
GHz and 2.5 GHz frequency bands have been submitted for WiMAX Forum
certification since WiMAX Forum labs began accepting applications from
vendors in late 2007. The organization further announced its official
decision in support of significant market demand to expand the WiMAX
Forum product development roadmap for Mobile WiMAX certification in the
700 MHz frequency band. These updates were delivered as part of a media
luncheon hosted by the WiMAX Forum at 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress in
Barcelona.
"With more than 260 commercial WiMAX deployments rolled-out on a global
basis, WiMAX technology is the only commercially available OFDMA-based
wireless technology today to support the rapid expansion of mobile
broadband Internet access and the broad proliferation of the open
Internet concept that so many mobile service providers are talking about
here this week," said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum. "We
expect this momentum to be evident at Mobile World Congress and at the
upcoming WiMAX Forum Congress event series."
Today's WiMAX Forum media luncheon displayed the global excitement
surrounding Mobile WiMAX deployments with testimonials from global
service providers, including Freedom4, Iberbanda, KDDI, Korea Telecom
and SprintNextel and who each indicated the readiness of WiMAX
technology with certified products and the optimization of WiMAX
networks for broadband data services as key motivators in selecting
WiMAX technology for their next generation services.
Mobile WiMAX Certification Progress
The first Mobile WiMAX products are expected to achieve the WiMAX Forum
Certified™ seal of approval in Q2 2008 and to
reach the market later this year. In addition, the WiMAX Forum forecasts
that more than 950 products will undergo Mobile WiMAX certification
testing by 2011, representing an influx of new consumer devices and
infrastructure equipment to support continued rapid WiMAX user adoption
in the 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz, and 3.5 GHz frequency bands. The WiMAX Forum's
current network of six labs in China, Korea, Spain, U.S. and two in
Taiwan will expand to nine with additions in Brazil, India and Japan to
handle the anticipated certification demand.
Last week, the WiMAX Forum announced that it selected TTC-CCS as the
second designated certification lab in Taiwan for both Fixed WiMAX and
Mobile WiMAX certification services. AT4 wireless, the WiMAX Forum's
lead certification vendor, will facilitate the set up of the laboratory
by second half of 2008 to run similar services to all the WiMAX Forum
Designated Certification Laboratory (WFDCL) sites.
WiMAX Forum Technology Roadmap Expands to 700 MHz Frequency
With an increased interest in the 700 MHz band and more service
providers around the world choosing WiMAX as their next generation
mobile broadband technology of choice, the WiMAX Forum is adding this
frequency range to its technology roadmap. Work on the technical
specifications for 700 MHz WiMAX Forum certification is already underway
in the association's working groups. The published specifications will
be unveiled as they are completed and they will support both TDD and FDD
certification profiles.
"The WiMAX Forum will continue looking at new market opportunities and
expanding the capabilities of its technology standards," said Resnick.
"The 700 MHz spectrum is set to become a key spectrum band globally and
many administrations are now considering spectrum arrangements in the
band. Interest in WiMAX deployments is also reinforced now that 802.16e
is part of the IMT-2000 family of standards and certified products are
becoming available. It is important to remember that the WiMAX Forum's
technical specifications are driven by the needs of our member companies
and we will continue to explore and push the limits of the technology to
best meet the industry's needs."
Mobile World Congress
Through its participation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this
week, the WiMAX Forum® sees the presence and
influence of WiMAX™ technologies as a stronger
contributor to the conference than ever before. The WiMAX Forum, in
collaboration with its members, will be conducting a number of
activities throughout the show to promote the WiMAX ecosystem on behalf
of the industry.
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Walk of WiMAX Booth Tour
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More than 40 member companies will participate in a WiMAX Forum
sponsored, self-guided booth tour, which will walk participants to
each member company booth. To pick up a tour map, please visit the
AT4 wireless booth in Hall 2, Booth E12. The tour participants will
include the following ecosystem vendors: Agilent Technologies,
Aircom International, Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Anite,
Anritsu, Arraycomm, AT4 wireless, Bridgewater Systems, CelPlan,
Cisco, Comsys Mobile, EB, Fujitsu, Hulu Sweden, Informa Telecoms &
Media, Informa Publishing, Intel, Iskratel, L&T Infotech, Mentum,
Motorola, NEC, NextWave Broadband, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel,
PA Consulting, PicoChip, Redline Communications, Rohde & Schwarz,
Samsung, Sandvine, Sequans, SiGe Semiconductor, Spirent,
SprintNextel, Starent, Tata Elxsi, Tele Atlas, Vecima, Wavesat,
WiNetworks, ZTE.
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Global Roaming Interoperability Demonstration
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Several WiMAX Forum members are participating in a global roaming
interoperability demonstration hosted at the Intel conference booth
located in Hall 8, Booth 8B109. The demonstration shows how
consumers can remain seamlessly connected to an Internet session
using a single mobile device as they roam between WiMAX, Wi-Fi and
UMTS enabled technology zones. Users are able to roam as a result of
service provider networks enabled with automated subscription
authentication mechanisms specified in 3GPP and the WiMAX Forum
standards bodies. Participating companies include: Alvarion,
Comfone, Ericsson, Intel, Kubi Wireless, Motorola, Orange,
SprintNextel, Syniverse and the WiMAX Forum.
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For more information on the WiMAX Forum, including its WiMAX Forum
Congress Event Series or certification program, please visit the WiMAX
Forum website at www.wimaxforum.org.
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 802.16/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.
"WiMAX Forum" is a registered trademark of the WiMAX Forum. "WiMAX," the
WiMAX Forum logo, "WiMAX Forum Certified," and the WiMAX Forum Certified
logo are trademarks of the WiMAX Forum. All other trademarks are the
properties of their respective owners.
GolinHarris for WiMAX Forum
Mari Hancock, 713-513-9574
mhancock@golinharris.com
