WiMAX and Internet-Based Television? August 30, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Livemint.com recently posted an intriguing article on WiMAX and the doors it opens for IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). In the past, the amount of bandwidth it takes just to stream video has been a major obstacle for the development of IPTV. However, with WiMAX’s faster and more efficient internet access just around the corner, IPTV has the potential to become a reality.
How would Internet-Based TV work? Think DVR-style TV, but better. IPTV would allow users to play, rewind, fast-forward and stop shows with a few clicks on an interactive menu. All that would be needed is a subscription and a small set-top box to deliver the signals to your television or computer. Indian companies Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications are currently testing this exciting technology on a WiMAX network. This brings up yet another novel idea of what WiMAX can bring to the table technologically, in addition to faster internet access and VoIP capabilities.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Internet TV, IPTV, Internet Protocol Television, DVR
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Going WiMAX in Germany and the Middle East August 29, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
WiMAX deployment is continuing at a rapid pace outside of the United States. ZDNet News reports that French-American telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent (a familiar name if you recall France’s recent decision to deploy WiMAX) is beginning commercial WiMAX developments in the Saar section of Germany. The deployment is scheduled to begin in the fall, with Internet, VoIP and related WiMAX services up and running by January of next year.
Along a similar vein, TMCNet News reports WiMAX developments in the Middle East. Huawei Technologies was chosen by Saudi Telecom to deploy WiMAX in major Middle Eastern cities “including Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.” In the article, representatives from Saudi Telecom speak of both Huawei and WiMAX in rather glowing terms. It seems that the excitement that came about from Sprint’s Xohm announcement and other WiMAX developments in the United States is echoing in other regions with equal enthusiasm.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Alcatel Lucent, Germany, Huawei Technologies, Saudi Telecom, The Middle East
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Some WiMAX Eye Candy: Samsung’s Mobile WiMAX UMPC August 28, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
AVING.net provides some enticing visuals of Samsung’s new WiMAX-enabled Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC). The device runs Windows XP, features a touch screen and foldable keyboard and best of all can connect to the internet and VoIP via WiMAX. Samsung’s new UMPC was unveiled at their 4G Forum in Korea. As WiMAX’s infrastructure continues to develop in the United States, it is exciting to see WiMAX-enabled devices are being produced and released in tandem.
Photo Credit: Aving.net
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, WiMAX-enabled UMPC, Samsung, mobile devices
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
WiMAX in New York: Sprint and Samsung Take the Lead August 27, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Reuters reports today that Sprint has awarded Samsung their New York WiMAX market. Samsung will provide equipment and infrastructure as vital partners in Sprint’s plan to launch WiMAX in select cities before embarking on their planned nationwide rollout. Having already been awarded Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island, Samsung can now add New York to an already prime list of locations. Samsung even predicts that their increased involvement in WiMAX deployment will only strengthen their sales and technological presence. According to Reuters, Samsung speculates that their handset sales will top 40 million units this quarter.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Sprint, Samsung, New York
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
WiMAX History 101: A Look Back At How It All Got Started… August 24, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
BusinessWeek has released an excellent article chronicling the history of WiMAX and the corporate forces that have pushed the technology to the position it is in today. According to the article, Intel’s Executive-VP, Sean Maloney, was looking for an alternative to installing fiber optic cabaling. Cumbersome and expensive, installing fiber optic cabaling would mean ripping up sidewalks and repaving roads; a task Maloney was desperate to avoid. Then came the call for a cheaper, faster and ultimately savvier wireless alternative: WiMAX.
After intense negotiations and a lot of research (Mahoney looked especially hard at a failed technology attempted by AT&T that was rather similar to WiMAX called Project Angel ), everything started to come together. Business-wise the timing was just right. As the article brings out:
The way everything seems to have fallen together for WiMAX deployment is exciting both from a business perspective and from a technological perspective. What remains to be seen is whether these corporation’s aligning visions will in fact translate over into a technological reality.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Intel, Sean Maloney, WiMAX history, Business and Technology
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
The Auction for 700 MHz and Clearwire’s “WiMAX-Lite” Service August 23, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....1 comment so far
WiMax.com reports that the long-anticipated auction for the 700 MHz spectrum is now officially set for January 16, 2008. As service providers prepare to do their bidding, it will be interesting to see how the auction pans out and whether a WiMAX provider (or providers) will get a hand on this long-anticipated chunk of spectrum.
In other WiMAX news, Jay Greene of Mobile Tech Today has written an intriguing article describing what he calles Clearwire’s “WiMAX-Lite” service. For between $30 and $50 per month, Clearwire provided Mr. Greene with a nine-inch high modem that plugs into the Ethernet jack on any computer. Though not perfect in every location (this is still a pilot program, after all), he was able to carry the modem with him to work, around town, and even to Starbucks and gain high speed internet access without paying the coffee shop’s usual Wi-Fi fee. This portable modem is an antecedent to the more convenient WiMAX cards and chipsets that are currently in development. This test program provides an interesting and rather exciting taste of what WiMAX coverage will be like once it is formally deployed across the United States.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, 700 MHz, Clearwire, WiMAX chipsets
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
ZyXEL Signs Contract With Sprint August 22, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....add a comment
Yet another player in WiMAX developments: ZyXEL Communications has signed a contract with Sprint, agreeing to provide WiMAX CPE Products.
Definition?
Customer-premises equipment or customer-provided equipment (CPE) is any terminal and associated equipment and inside wiring located at a subscriber’s premises and connected with a carrier’s telecommunication channel(s) at the demarcation point (“demarc”). The demarc is a point established in a building or complex to separate customer equipment from telephone company equipment. CPE generally refers to telephones, DSL modems or cable modems, or purchased set-top boxes for use with communication service providers’ services.
In other words, ZyXEL has agreed to provide Sprint with the routers, WiMAX chipsets and related hardware needed for devices to connect to Sprint’s WiMAX network. Digitimes reports that this will include “Zyxel’s MAX-100 series PCMCIA cards and the MAX-200 series plug-and-play routers, according to the release.”
As Sprint continues to forge onward with its XOHM/WiMAX rollout, the relationships it creates with manufacturers like ZyXEL will be invaluable to the deployment of WiMAX-enabled products.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, ZyXEL, CPE Customer Premise Equipment, XOHM
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Defining 4G: WiMAX, LTE or UMB? August 21, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Straight Definitions.add a comment
Although the term “4G” has been tossed around a lot in relation to WiMAX, the reality is that the International Telecommunications Union has not yet to define what “4G” actually means. According to In-Stat, the main technologies that are associated with this position include WiMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). To better understand the nature of the players involved in so-called 4G technologies, Wikipedia provides some helpful definitions for LTE and UMB (for a definition of WiMAX, see our glossary):
Ultra Mobile Broadband: An ultra fast technology that supports more than an order of magnitude increase in broadband data throughput rates to economically deliver IP-based voice, multimedia, broadband, information technology, entertainment, and consumer electronic services within most kinds of devices. A platform that supports several wireless services within a full mobility environment and thus differentiates itself from Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, etc. Ultra high-speeds that are in the order of 100s of megabits per second; next-generation capabilities, beyond 3G.
Long Term Evolution: 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the name given to a project within the Third Generation Partnership Project to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard to cope with future requirements. Goals include improving efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum opportunities, and better integration with other open standards. The LTE project is not a standard, but it will result in the new evolved release 8 of the UMTS standard, including mostly or wholly extensions and modifications of the UMTS system.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, 4G, LTE Long Term Evolution, UMB Ultra Mobile Broadband
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Concerns Over Sprint’s Management and WiMAX Services August 20, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Analyses and Speculations.add a comment
A few of the comments in this Wall Street Journal Business Technology blog entry voice a concern that has had some rumblings in several forums: Sprint’s historically bad management. One commenter rather bitingly wrote: “Forget Sprint. They could invent the cure for cancer and I still wouldn’t go back to being their customer. They need to fix their customer service or no one will ever stay with them.” Ouch.
The question remains as to whether Sprint’s less-than-perfect customer service record will result in lower sign-up rates (or worse, poor retention of new customers) once Xohm is officially launched. It goes to show that, powerful innovation and cutting-edge technologies aside, nothing can really take the place of a sterling record of customer service and strong management skills. Ideally, Sprint will use this critical time period to revamp the way they relate to their customers. Without that, their reported $5 billion investment may not pay off to its fullest capacity.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Sprint, Palm, bad customer service, XOHM
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Sprint + WiMAX service = XOHM, with a WiMAX-enabled Palm Smartphone and iPhone to Match? August 16, 2007
Posted by Ari Zoldan in Analyses and Speculations.1 comment so far
Engadget reports an anonymous tip that Sprint’s new WiMAX service will be marketed as XOHM, with formal announcements coming as early as this week. The announcement certainly is keeping with Sprint’s WiMAX timetable (deployment in some cities as early as the end of this year, with further development over the course of 2008).
With this context in mind, here’s another unsubstantiated tidbit from Engadget: think WiMAX-enabled Palm Smartphone. Apparently, Palm is developing an “ultra thin” smartphone for release in the fall that will operate on Sprint’s new WiMAX network. If this in fact becomes a reality, it would be a wise move for Palm, which has been pretty much dominated by RIM’s BlackBerries in the smartphone market.
How about the ever-popular iPhone and its potential WiMAX capabilities? Not very long after the iPhone’s release, hackers were already hard at work to make the iPhone go just a little further for them. After all, they paid $600-plus just to get their hands on the device. According to Lynnette Luna’s article on FierceWireless, many hackers were trying to find “ways to enable the iPhone to work on the networks of other carriers.”
Where does WiMAX come into the picture? Sprint’s new WiMAX launch is closely connected to the idea of giving customers free reign when it comes to mobile devices. Therefore, combining a sweet device like the iPhone with the freedom of WiMAX’s soon-to-be nationwide network would be in keeping with the demands of today’s wireless customer—something other providers have not yet been able to accomplish. If WiMAX can in fact accomplish this, it will result in a huge shift in the culture of wireless providers as well as the expectations of future consumers of these technologies.
Technorati Tags: WiMAX, Sprint, Palm, Palm Smartphone, WiMAX-enabled mobile devices iPhone
Ari Zoldan
Launch 3 Communications
Going WiMAX 