WiMAX Products Development February 25, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in WiMAX, Wi-Fi, wireless, Word on the Street Is....1 comment so far
Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine has reported on the development of a portable WiMAX VoIP cell phone. It features all-IP voice communication with mobile internet capabilities. The telephone was jointly developed by NetIndex Inc., Kaga Electronics Co., Ltd. and Runcom Technologies Ltd and was displayed at the Mobile World Conference in 2008.
Along a similar vein, EMSNow reports on several different developments for WiMAX products in Taiwan. Companies like MediaTek, Asustek Computer, GemTek Technology and many others have plans for shipping their WiMAX-enabled products within this year. Products range from WiMAX chips, and laptops to CPEs, with plenty of talk of increases in shipments within the year. For more details, check out the EMSNow article. Clearly the products industry is revving up for WiMAX.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, WiMAX VoIP phone, WiMAX products, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
WiMAX as a Military Technology? February 21, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....1 comment so far
Nortel Government Solutions is working with the US Department of Defense to explore possibilities for military use of WiMAX. An ideal situation for the Department of Defense would be a powerful wireless network that could instantly connect “anytime, anywhere” whether in the air, on the ground, or at sea. One vision of the use of WiMAX is quoted as follows from WiMAX Day:
In the arena of military tactics, WiMAX can be used to establish “links between temporary camps and command centres…. quick connections between camps and vehicles,” and with mobile WiMAX 802.16e “will allow constant communication with vehicles moving up to 60 miles per hour on the battlefield.” This is similar to a system that was developed for the Command Operations Center (COC) of the US Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) where WiMAX was integrated into mobile command units, combined with tactical radio and satellite systems.
This exploration is not just being undertaken by the United States. The French military has already arranged for the use of WiMAX via French WiMAX operator TDF. The Department of Defense is still waiting for “some standards to mature,” according to WiMAX Day. Whether or not WiMAX is adopted as part of a new technological strategy depends on how the technology evolves and the overall future of the standard.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, US Department of Defense, military technology, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
New Estimate on Initial Xohm Soft-Launch February 15, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Though there were echoes suggesting that Xohm would soft launch in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, DC early this winter, these plans clearly did not materialize, leaving many wondering when this first big step for Xohm would come to fruition in the United States. As stated on a post on DailyTech, Sprint’s Vice President for Technology Development, Ali Tabassi, says that the time could be this spring.
This piece of information comes as a response to this past Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where products were enthusiastically displayed with some praises for the WiMAX and murmurs against LTE and competing technologies. Potential users in the United States, however, have yet to see WiMAX developments, making timing ever more crucial for Xohm. Tabassi already acknowledges that delays with Sprint mean that it will mostly likely not reach the hoped-for 100 million subscriber mark this year.
At the same time, though, there is plenty of behind the scenes development that could very well push Xohm ahead. Talks between Sprint and Clearwire are still reported to be near a close, with word of an additional $2 million investment from Intel and probably others. As the deal officially comes to a close the path ahead for Xohm should become clearer to investors and those interested in the progress of WiMAX.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Intel, Sprint, Clearwire, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Intel and Nokia on Seamless Wi-Fi to WiMAX Access February 12, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in WiMAX, Wi-Fi, wireless, Word on the Street Is....add a comment
InformationWeek reports that Intel, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Network demonstrated an early version of a Wi-Fi/WiMAX network solution at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The technology is designed to allow mobile devices to seamlessly move from a Wi-Fi connection to a WiMAX connection with no disruption in internet access. It works by responding to several different triggers; for example, a weakening Wi-Fi signal. Before the Wi-Fi signal is entirely lost, one is able to simultaneously connect to a WiMAX signal, leaving any online work unaffected by the switchover.
The article goes on to state the value of such a development:
Such anywhere, anytime connectivity is pivotal to mainstream adoption of future Internet-enabled devices, capable of accessing multimedia and other services over the Web. Intel and other companies are investing billions in the technology needed to build and support such devices, which are the future of mobile computing, proponents say.
Technologies like this are pivotal in terms of dual access, especially in moving some out of the familiarity of Wi-Fi into the still-somewhat-unfamiliar realm of WiMAX connectivity. But perhaps most valuable is the seamless quality of what Intel and Nokia are developing and what that will mean for mobile access.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Intel, Nokia, Wi-Fi, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Synopsis On a Possible Clearwire-Sprint Reunion February 8, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in WiMAX, Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Unstrung has provided a hopeful article on Clearwire and Sprint’s possible reunion on the WiMAX front–apparently with help from Google and others. Analyst Eric Kainer provides a synopsis on some of the possibilities:
- When could the deal be announced? The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is one possibility. It takes place next week.
- Clearwire is “close to the finish line” in the deal with Sprint
- Google’s interest in Xohm may be because they feel they can reach more people sooner than via 700 MHz broadband.
- With Sprint’s financial troubles in the news and Clearwire in need of more funding, this may be the optimal time for a reunion
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Clearwire, Sprint, Google, Ari ZoldanAri Zoldan Launch 3 Communications
Comsys and Agilent Join Forces to Speed Up WiMAX Handset Production February 6, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in WiMAX, Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Comsys Communications and Signal Processing and Agilent Technologies Inc. have combined their interests in a collaboration that may help speed up product development on the WiMAX front. Agilent brings to the table the Agilent N8300A, a wireless networking test set that can be used to identify WiMAX-compliant chipsets. According to the press release, “with Agilent’s support of Comsys chipsets, modules based on Comsys ICs can be calibrated and tested with the greatest speed and efficiency.”
The Agilent N8300A has been noted for the accuracy and speed with which it functions as a test solution. Likewise, Comsys is a leading supplier of chipsets on the WiMAX standard. With the two companies working together, one can imagine an assembly line-style movement with WiMAX chipsets being designed, tested and perfected. The efficiency of this type of collaboration may in fact ultimately trickle down and contribute to the production of viable WiMAX-enabled products (and the speed with which developments take place). Given the important role the development of products and devices will play in the adoption of WiMAX, these types of partnerships–if executed correctly–can prove to be valuable to the industry as a whole.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Comsys, Agilent, WiMAX chipsets, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
“If You Build It They Will Come”… February 4, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Analyses and Speculations.add a comment
The Kansas City Business Journal recently wrote a small but noteworthy article concerning WiMAX-deployment in the Kansas-city area. Kansas-based company CTC (Computers & TeleComm, Inc.) has recently received license for a block of bandwidth from the FCC and plans to use it to deploy WiMAX “well before Sprint’s XOHM project comes to town.”
Why do we care about WiMAX in Kansas City? For one thing, the fact that a much smaller company is taking up the project of offering WiMAX in their area reveals that there is in fact market interest in–and arguably a need for–the technology, not just for large cities like New York or San Francisco but perhaps especially in more rural areas like some parts of Kansas. There is also a lesson in this for Sprint as well: timing. The rather large task of deploying WiMAX nationwide is something that larger companies like Sprint have within their power to accomplish. However, this plan needs to be executed in a timely fashion in order to essentially grab the market while there is still significant demand (or even before competing technologies gain an advantage). Anecdotes like these show that the time is now. As a result there will hopefully be more rapid progress on the WiMAX/Xohm front in the coming months.
CORRECTION (2/6/08): CTC will be deploying primarily in the Kansas City area, not encompassing “rural areas.”
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Sprint, Xohm, CTC, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Asia’s Role in WiMAX’s Growth February 2, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Analyses and Speculations.add a comment
According to Juniper Research, half of all mobile WiMAX subscribers will be located in Asia by the year 2013. This half will account for roughly 40 million subscribers concentrated mostly in Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan and Australia. The reason? It is believed that WiMAX’s growth will initially be spurred by areas where wired access was not a viable option. WiMAX’s ability to deploy quickly and efficiently in areas that were previously underserved will make it an attractive option for such countries and locales.
Top markets for 2013, according to the research, include the United States, Japan and South Korea. The caveats? Spectrum and devices. In order to reach a potential 80 million subscribers licenses must be acquired in a timely fashion. Furthermore, in order to utilize the WiMAX network, WiMAX-enabled devices will be an obvious necessity. Future projections on the success of WiMAX are hinged on these two elements. Therefore, as more spectrum is allocated and more devices are developed the likelihood of these future projections will continue to increase.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, mobile WiMAX, Asia, WiMAX-enabled devices, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
The First Mobile WiMAX Gaming Device January 29, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....2 comments
There’s been plenty of talk about how WiMAX could work wonders for device integration as well as inciting a new era for mobile devices. Now some evidence of that is becoming clearer in the gaming world with the first WiMAX-enabled gaming device. POSBRO, a Korea-based company, has developed the WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled G100. It features a four-inch LCD touchscreen with a slide-out gaming pad reminiscent of a somewhat sleeker and more compact Nintendo DS. The G100 will also utilize the Opera browser for a “PC-quality” internet experience. The device is set for release early this year in Korea and in late 2008 to early 2009 in the United States.
Needless to say the gaming industry is a huge one both in the United States and abroad. The mobile gaming industry in particular is poised for major growth, with revenue increasing from the millions to the billions, according to some projections. If anything, it is thought that the somewhat limited nature of mobile technology in North America (slower connections, lapses in connectivity etc.) are what has hindered some of the potential growth in this area. WiMAX and the network speeds and reliability associated with it would allow for the development of more complex mobile games with richer graphics and better features. Devices like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS have already made huge waves in the gaming industry without including particularly impressive web-based features. Devices like the G100 could set a new standard by raising the expectations of mobile gamers, thus realizing another niche WiMAX’s capabilities fall into. Simultaneously, the early introduction of WiMAX-enabled gaming devices would serve as a hook for the “YouTube generation” market; a market that plays a significant role in trend-setting and the successful adoption of new technologies.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, mobile gaming, POSBRO G100, WiMAX-enabled devices, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Movement With Sprint: Will WiMAX Be Affected? January 25, 2008
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Analyses and Speculations.2 comments
With last week’s announcement of 4,000 job cuts, reductions in its retail footprint and the loss of three top executives, many wonder what all these changes with Sprint will mean for Xohm. To provide more background on the latest news, key executives Paul Saleh (chief financial officer), Tim Kelly (chief marketing officer), and Mark Angelino (president of sales and distribution) are all leaving Sprint in the wake up plummeting profits and subscriber losses for the company. These realities have defied Sprint’s hopeful financial estimates and lead to some criticism–criticism that has been somewhat on the rise since the company’s acquisition of Nextel a few years ago.
Though Xohm has not been specifically mentioned in conjunction with some of the changes that have been happening with Sprint, one can’t help but wonder if it will be affected. While there were hopes that Sprint would open the new year with a big bang on its promise to roll-out nationwide, buzz on their initial three-city soft launch has been on the low end. This has resulted in some doubts, as John Oram of Geek.com expressed, “Often Sprint makes good technology decisions, however their implementations are sorely lacking; e.g., Sprint’s promised WiMAX ‘savior solution’ that is going to be, at best, a tough row to hoe.” At the same time, however, there are no indications that Xohm will be coming to a halt being that Sprint has positioned the division alongside several services and agencies that will help make it happen.
Though these key movements among Sprint’s executives and other changes may suggest instability or reason for doubt, developments with Xohm still seem to be in order for 2008. Any announcements from the company suggesting otherwise remain to be seen.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Xohm, Nextel, Sprint, Ari Zoldan
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Going WiMAX 