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Hearing Directly From DirecTV
By Toby Shute
April 4, 2007
"anybody with a national [next-generation] broadband offering is going to be a great partner for us, and we will be a great partner for them."
Satellite broadcasting solves the so-called "last mile" problem with its wide coverage area -- it can reach viewers in areas where it isn't economical for a cable company to build out its network. But DirecTV is a heavyweight because of its premium content, such as its NFL Sunday Ticket and its preponderance of HD channels, rather than because of its delivery mechanism. It's widely expected that sometime in the not-too-distant future, DirecTV will move to a next-generation technology such as WiMax, a mobile broadband standard that provides enough bandwidth for more than 100 HD channels. The company is naturally coy about its plans in this area.
A next-gen broadband solution would offer not just a new platform for delivering DirecTV content, but also an additional, complementary revenue stream. In other words, DirecTV would be able to partner with the broadband provider, whether it's Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) or another startup that doesn't even exist yet, to bundle TV services along with voice or data, or both.
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2007/04/04/fool-on-the-street-hearing-directly-from-d....
Another article on Clearwire's new Technical Support Center
outside Pensacola FL:
Pensacola News Journal
Published - April, 4, 2007
Washington state-based Clearwire Corporation is bringing 400 higher-than-average-paying jobs to East Milton.
The new technology service center will take incoming calls from customers with technical questions about Clearwire's wireless high-speed Internet service.
Clearwire will begin training its employees on April 16, according to company spokeswoman Helen Chung.
"This is the best project that we've brought into Santa Rosa County," said Cindy Anderson, who has led the TEAM Santa Rosa Economic Development Council since 2002. "People always say, 'We want a lot of high-paying jobs.' Well, by golly, we've got it."
The company has pledged that the average wage it will pay will be 115 percent of the average wage in Santa Rosa County. That would mean Clearwire's wages would average at least $15.78 or more per hour. That's a requirement to be eligible for the state's qualified target industry tax refund program.
"This is the best news we've received in Santa Rosa County in many, many years," said Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter, who heads the commission's economic development efforts. "It's the most new jobs coming to our county in a long, long time."
Patrick Wendoleck drove from Pensacola to East Milton for a Clearwire job fair Tuesday. He'd be willing to make the commute every day.
"The job I am coming for is as a technical support representative. I did something similar at Baptist (Health Care)," Wendoleck said. "I was laid off at Baptist."
Clearwire will move into a 40,000-square-foot building at the Santa Rosa County Industrial Park in East Milton previously used as a call center for CitiFinancial.
Salter said the building was a big draw for Clearwire, but there are now no unoccupied buildings ready for tenants in the county's industrial park.
"Hopefully, we can find a way to have a speculative building in the future," he said.
Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., Clearwire launched its first market in August 2004, and now offers service in 36 metropolitan markets covering more than 350 municipalities in 12 states including Florida, as well as Ireland, Belgium and Denmark.
"The state of Florida holds a special distinction for Clearwire since we launched our very first market in Jacksonville almost three years ago," Perry Satterlee, Clearwire president and chief operating officer, said in a news release. "The opening of our second technical support center is part of our long-term business strategy to meet the growing customer demand for our simple, fast, portable, reliable and affordable wireless Internet service."
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070404/BUSINESS/704040327
NEC Launches Mobile WiMAX for North America
NEC Corporation of America announced the availability of its Mobile WiMAX solution based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard and also compliant with WiMAX Forum’s Wave-2 System Profile for fixed and mobile broadband access services. The platform is suited for operation on Sub-11GHz licensed bands.
NEC’s latest standards-based Mobile WiMAX solution includes Wave-2 System Profile features to provide enhanced system performance when compared to previous 802.16-2004 and Wave-1 System Profile standard solutions. This new standard addresses mobility extensions for future operator growth and enhanced coverage through embedded enhancements in the standard – which delivers better uplink capabilities.
In addition, NEC said its Mobile WiMAX Air Interface adopts MIMO and Beam Forming techniques to further improve the transmission capacity of the radio system.
http://www.necwave.com
28-Mar-07
http://www.convergedigest.com/Wireless/broadbandwirelessarticle.asp?ID=21025&ctgy=
HDTV Over Mobile WiMax
Posted: 4 April 2007
Technology | Click Here to Print |
Japan Radio Company and Runcom Technologies have completed the development of WiMAX base station equipment and user terminals and jointly demonstrated the highest throughput ever achieved over Mobile WiMAX networks at the recent CTIA Conference. Based on an advanced version of the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard, operating at 2.5GHz, they achieved a record throughput of 30 megabits per second. A better solution than Google’s TISP, which apparently is not ’so’ far fetched after-all.
According to the company press release:
“By running a High Definition TV application over a Mobile WiMAX Network enabled us to demonstrate the fantastic potential of Mobile WiMAX as a Broadband Access Technology ” said Israel Koffman, Runcom’s VP of Marketing; “The collaboration with a leading company in Radio technology such as JRC enabled the team to bring OFDMA technology to perform one of its highest records.”
Dr Fumio Murakami, General Manager of WiMAX Project at JRC noted: “Japan, as a Sophisticated Communications Markets is expecting superior performance from the WiMAX networks to compete with the existing broadband wireless networks in the country; The collaboration with a pioneer in OFDMA technology such as Runcom supported JRC in its plan to demonstrate such performance to the leading operators in Japan.”
http://wirelesswatch.jp/2007/04/04/hdtv-over-mobile-wimax/
Governor Crist Welcomes Clearwire Corporation to Santa Rosa County, Florida
April 03, 2007
http://www.clearwire.com/company/news/main.php
The hiring 400 employees in the Pensacola area alone is substantial.
Additionally Clearwire had placements for 221 other jobs nationwide, excluding the Pensacola, FL area as of March 16, 2007:
http://ragingbull.quote.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=CLWR&read=47
Prior to this we know from the S-1/A filed March 7 2007:
As of December 31, 2006 Clearwire had approximately 930 employees in the United States and approximately 315 employees in our international operations. This total does not include employees of our equity investees. We believe our employee relations are good.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1285551/000095013407005056/v25599a6sv1za.htm
Clearwire PENSACOLA FL News Apr 3, 2007:
Pensacola News Journal
Published - April, 3, 2007
400 Jobs Coming to East Milton
Clearwire Corp., a Washington-based company that provides wireless high-speed broadband service, has selected Milton as the location of its new technology service center.
The Milton site will be the company's technical service center which is anticipated to employ more than 400 people and provide a competitive wage.
“Florida’s information technology industry has developed the infrastructure to successfully compete on a global scale,” Gov. Charlie Crist said in a news release. “I am proud that Clearwire and its cutting-edge technology will expand to help build upon this leadership.”
Clearwire, founded in October 2003, by Craig O. McCaw, is a provider of reliable, wireless high-speed Internet service. Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., the company launched its first market in August 2004, and now offers service in 36 metro markets covering more than 350 municipalities in 12 states including Florida, as well as Ireland, Belgium and Denmark under the Clearwire name through Danske Telecom.
“The state of Florida holds a special distinction for Clearwire since we launched our very first market in Jacksonville almost three years ago,” said Perry Satterlee, Clearwire president and chief operating officer. “The opening of our second technical support center is part of our long-term business strategy to meet the growing customer demand for our simple, fast, portable, reliable and affordable wireless Internet service.”
Clearwire currently provides an easy, off-the-shelf wireless high-speed Internet solution that requires no installation or software downloads. The portable Clearwire service can be moved from place-to-place inside the coverage area, which allows customers to use the service throughout their home, office or favorite coffee house. Customers can access the service by simply taking the modem out of the box, plugging it in and connecting the Ethernet cord to the customer’s computer.
The Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development worked closely with Santa Rosa County, Team Santa Rosa EDC and Enterprise Florida to successfully bring this project and these jobs to Florida.
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070403/NEWS01/70403014
fwiw, Clearwire's D.C. address is right across the street from the White House (See Map):http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=clearwire&near=Washington,+DC&radius=0.0&cid=3889....
WASHINGTON DC Clearwire Office Now Showing on Google:
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=clearwire&near=Washington,+DC&radius=0.0&latlng=3...
NASHVILLE, TN:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=18374422
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=18291673
Jim Cramer: Volcano, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Vonage, Clearwire
By James Temple
March 30 (Bloomberg)
.....He suggested buying Verizon Communications Inc., Vonage Holdings Corp., Clearwire Corp. and BigBand Networks. .....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=CLWR:US&sid=ahttjZcK...
Wireless Web firm to open office here (Clearwire):
Clearwire intends to offer alternative to AT&T and cable
Nashville, TN Saturday, 03/31/07
By NAOMI SNYDER
Staff Writer
Clearwire, the growing WiMAX broadband Internet provider founded by cell phone entrepreneur Craig McCaw, has hired a general manager and plans to open an office in the Nashville area this year.
The company wants to offer a wireless broadband Internet alternative to AT&T (formerly BellSouth) and the local cable companies sometime this year, according to General Manager Jane Hutson. She declined to comment further, as the company has not made an official announcement.
The Kirkland, Wash.-based company served about 206,000 homes and businesses in 34 metro markets at the end of last year.
Its much-heralded wireless high-speed Internet service allows customers to take a laptop with them and get a broadband Internet connection wherever Clearwire has service. It promises to eventually give consumers a single Internet provider for their homes, businesses, cell phones and other wireless devices, although it doesn't have a cell phone product on the market yet.
Cell firms are challenge
In some areas, Clearwire sells Internet service and a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service.
In Raleigh, N.C., Clearwire is selling a 768-kilobits per second Internet connection for $29.99 a month or a 1.5-megabit per second connection for $36.99 a month— slightly higher than AT&T's 1.5-megabit service in Tennessee, which costs $32.95 a month.
"I think WiMAX is going to be really good for residential deployments," said Bill Butler, the owner of Butler Networks in Nashville, who also has some WiMAX business clients in Nashville. "I think McCaw is one of those guys that really likes pushing the competitive atmosphere."
McCaw founded wireless firm Nextel, which merged with Sprint in 2005. He had sold his McCaw Communications to AT&T for $11.4 billion in 1994 as well.
His latest venture into WiMAX offers a high-speed wireless Internet service to wide areas, potentially both rural and urban areas.
Clearwire has been buying licensed radio spectrum so it can set up transmitters on cell phone towers and deliver a secure, reliable Internet connection.
Clearwire this month went public on the Nasdaq Stock Market in order to raise about $600 million for further expansion. Investors haven't been totally enthusiastic. The stock was priced at $27 a share for the initial public offering and closed Friday at $20.47 a share.
The biggest challenge for Clearwire is that cell phone companies are upgrading
their own Internet speeds to provide mobile wireless products as well, according to Kagan Research analyst John Mansell.
"There's no question (Clearwire) has had a lot of hype,' he said. "But cell phone companies are going to be providing much the same service over the same time frame."
Cell phone company Sprint has begun rolling out WiMAX cell phone service in some markets.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/BUSINESS01/703310326
Clearwire (Denmark):
http://www.clearwire.dk/main.php?op=index&lan=da
Current Positions Available Clearwire Europe:
http://www.clearwire.be/index.php?section=26
Clearwire's Rapid Roll Out to New Cities and States List:
This current list was compiled by comparing Clearwire's
current 'Interactive Coverage Map'
http://www.clearwire.com/store/service_areas.php
against the company's current 'Careers Center' Job Offers
http://www.clearwire.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showSearchInterface
(just hit the 'search' button only without entering other information to view all jobs available)
with 234 jobs being offered as of March 20th.
NEW CITIES BEING ROLLED OUT NOW, BUT NOT YET LISTED ON CLEARWIRE'S 'INTERACTIVE COVERAGE MAP'as of March 20, 2007:
Current Job Listings Included for Each City
ARIZONA, PHOENIX
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
CALIFORNIA, SACRAMENTO
CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
CONNECTICUT, HARTFORD
FLORIDA, DAYTONA BEACH
FLORIDA, MIAMI
FLORIDA, ORLANDO
FLORIDA, PENSACOLA
GEORGIA, ATLANTA
LOUISIANA, NEW ORLEANS
MICHIGAN, DETROIT
MICHIGAN, GRAND RAPIDS
MISSOURI, ST. LOUIS
NEVEDA, LAS VEGAS
NEW YORK, ROCHESTER
NEW YORK, SYRACUSE
NORTH CAROLINA, CHAROLETTE
OHIO, DAYTON
PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA
PENNSYLVANIA, PITTSBURGH
PENNSYLVANIA, EASTERN PA
RHODE ISLAND, PROVIDENCE
TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS
TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE
TEXAS, CORPUS CHRISTI
TEXAS, DALLAS
TEXAS, LONGVIEW
VIRGINIA, RICHMOND
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Note the following link for individual job offerings:
http://ragingbull.quote.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=CLWR&read=47
Clearwire (Belgium):
http://www.clearwire.be/
Clearwire (Ireland):
http://www.clearwire.ie/cwi/
CTIA: The WiMax effect
Seattle Times
March 28, 2007
Posted by Tricia Duryee at 06:40 AM
ORLANDO, Fla. -- There are a million things going on at once at CTIA.
The LG booth, for instance, appears to be as many as three stories high and has the effect of waterfalls cascading down the side. Loud techno music pumps from the booth, making it what I believe might make the largest and most eye-catching of all on the floor. Perhaps Samsung's or Ericsson's come in second and third -- for sure on size alone.
But those aren't the things really stealing the show.
WiMax is.
In the three years I have been covering CTIAs, this is the first time WiMax has had a significant presence.
Motorola is hosting a panel discussion on the topic today; there ares standalone WiMax booths on the floor for network equipment; Sprint Nextel disclosed Monday where it will launch the next dozen or so markets for its WiMax service; and I even ran into Clearwire's CEO Ben Wolff, who was cruising the floor.
The consensus is that the WiMax-at-wireless-shows trend started in Feburary at the 3GSM show in Barcelona, Spain. Folks at Motorola said it was there that Vodafone was quoted in one of the major papers as saying carriers should be very afraid of WiMax -- or something along on those lines.
From then on, WiMax supposedly was the topic of conversation.
The increased presence may be a sign of the technology's maturity.
WiMax World, the annual trade show dedicated to wireless broadband, is typically held in Boston every year in the fall. This year, the show has moved to Chicago (Motorola's back yard) because of the increased number of attendants.
Perhaps, the 3G carriers will show up there?
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/techtracks/archives/2007/03/ctia_the_wimax_effect_1.html
CTIA: Sprint Nextel Redefining Mobile Internet / Clearwire
WiMAX Rollout Extended To 19 Major Metro Areas In The U.S. In 2008
by Jim Barthold
Tues, March 27. 2007
Sprint Nextel wants to redefine the mobile Internet by using WiMAX technology and its nationwide bounty of 2.5 GHz spectrum. If this means overriding some metro areas that are already invested in metro Wi-Fi or working outside its joint venture with the cable industry, it’s all part of chasing a new generation of Internet, Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations at Sprint Nextel said at CTIA Wireless in Orlando.
The carrier will use Samsung to build PC cards for both single WiMAX mode and dual CDMA 1x EV-DO/WiMAX mode; ZTE to supply multiple WiMAX 802.16e devices, including PC cards in express and USB form factors and advanced modems; and ZyXEL for modems products. It has also added 12 new areas to its 2008 launch calendar. Motorola will develop launches in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minneapolis as well as the already announced Chicago; Samsung will develop Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and the already announced Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; and Nokia will develop Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle along with already announced Austin, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
Some of those communities—notably Philadelphia--are already enmeshed in building metro Wi-Fi networks with which WiMAX would inevitably compete.
“A lot of people are telling us that if WiMAX works the way it does, why deploy Wi-Fi,” said Gude. While a WiMAX signal can covers miles—although probably not mesh-like format Sprint is planning—Wi-Fi covers feet and “we learned in the cellular world that what drove adoption is when people didn’t have to guess where coverage was. With Wi-Fi you still have to guess,” he said.
Sprint’s cable partners—Comcast, Cox, Advance/Newhouse, and Time Warner Cable might also be left guessing if their partner, by blanketing large metro areas with mobile broadband capable of as much as 10 Mbps of throughput, isn’t stepping on their footprint.
“We’re very focused on building 3G business (with cable) today and at the same time we are focused on building our 4G business separate on WiMAX,” Gude said. “Our cable partnership is very focused on using the tools and the capabilities that we have available today to really prove out and drive that business model.”
When it comes to WiMAX, Sprint Nextel is not shy about stepping on toes. Just calling its effort 4G sets some teeth on edge and certainly pushing forward a mobile WiMAX agenda while the standards are still being set has rankled some others, although Gude insists the standards bodies welcome the effort.
“It’s probably good to say we are driving the standards,” Gude said. “We have a vision about the mobile Internet that we think is much broader and pervasive than just the United States. While we’re driving, we’re not controlling.”
At the moment, though, Sprint Nextel—along with Clearwire—control the WiMAX effort because they own the bulk of the nation’s licensed 2.5 GHz spectrum. Gude, however, maintains that the carrier’s work with standards bodies shows it is not going it alone.
“Our model was never to invalidate cellular, it’s really to create a new experience called the mobile Internet separate from cellular. It really puts us in a position to offer clarity to the standards bodies to articulate the vision that not only we believe in but that we can express and articulate to a whole series of other people,” he concluded.
http://www.telecommagazine.com/newsglobe/article.asp?HH_ID=AR_3040
Sprint, Motorola Make Splash in Orlando
By Roy Mark
Sprint Nextel (Quote) said today it plans to reach 100 million Americans by the end of next year with its wireless broadband network. The mobile carrier plans to debut its service by the end of this year and eventually build it out in 19 markets.
The news came amid a raft of WiMAX-related announcements on the first day of the CTIA Wireless 2007 show in Orlando, including Motorola's (Quote) equity investment in GoTV Networks, a mobile television provider, and a Nortel (Quote)venture to create a hybrid satellite-terrestrial network.
"Sprint has taken a leadership role in the WiMAX network development arena and is working with other technology leaders to quickly bring advanced mobile broadband services to reality," Barry West, president of 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint, said in a statement.
The Sprint WiMAX network will use the company's 2.5GHz spectrum holdings, which Cover 85 percent of the households in the top 100 U.S. markets.
Sprint chose Samsung to develop PC cards in both single WiMAX use and dual CDMA mode. Sprint also selected China's ZTE Corp. to supply multiple 802.16 devices including PC cards in express and USB forms.
To help expedite the national rollout of its network Sprint said it is launching a new "WiMAX Device and Chipset Ecosystem" to facilitate communications between chip makers and device makers. Spring said the initiative is designed to guide manufacturers on required specifications, features, functionality and product design.
According to Sprint, Motorola will develop Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minneapolis; Samsung will develop Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Washington, D.C.; and Nokia will develop Austin, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Seattle.
"Recent developments attest to the viability of our strategy, as more companies align with our vision and apply their expertise to the momentum building behind Sprint WiMax," West said.
Motorola's undisclosed investment in GoTV networks gives an additional boost to the first made-for-mobile television network and studio group. Using an on-demand model to deliver content to headsets and other mobile devices, GoTV already has content deals with Cingular, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, Helio and Boost Mobile.
"As demand for mobile television grows, Motorola is teaming up with…companies like GoTV to deliver the next-generation of 'must-have' services to our handsets," Reese Schroeder, managing director of Motorola Ventures, said in a statement.
The satellite-terrestrial network proposed by Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Nortel (Quote) will initially feature wireless voice, data and Web access, file sharing and VoIP connectivity using residential gateway devices and PC cards.
Nortel equipment used in the Reston, Va., trial will include WiMAX base stations and terminals, ancillary cell site gear, an IP core network, signaling equipment, authentication servers, media gateways, optical transport and IMS core elements. In addition, Nortel will provide design, network management and maintenance services.
"The rapid blurring of boundaries between telecom, broadcast and broadband is challenging the limits of traditional communications networks and giving bold new players like MSV a chance to get in on the game," Peter MacKinnon, general manager of WiMAX, Nortel, said in a statement.
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3668231
Siemens To Use SQN1130 for Wimax
By CXOtoday Staff
Mumbai, Mar 27, 2007
Siemens will use SQN1130 chips to build WiMAX residential modems and gateways being developed by its Home and Office Communications Device division.
WiMAX semiconductor solutions provider Sequans Communications introduced the chip recently.
SQN1130 is WiMAX's third generation chip in the market and includes MAC and PHY features required by 802. 16e. It consumes 280 mw.of power in active mode and delivers throughput of over 30Mbps.
Sequans said that with SQN1130 it has lowered power consumption by an additional 20 percent as compared to its WiMAX Wave 1 chip. Sequans in a statement said that wave 2 WiMAX profile includes full 2X2 MIMO.
"The performance of the SQN1130 clearly shows that WiMAX in every mobile device is a present possibility," said Bernard Aboussouan, Sequans VP, marketing and business development.
SQN1130 is RF-independent and tightly integrated with leading RF solutions, providing equipment manufacturers the ability to address opportunities in any frequency band.
"The high throughput and low power consumption makes it suitable for even the smallest of mobile devices and shows that WiMAX can be the powerful alternative to 3G that it has been envisioned to be," Aboussouan added.
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Siemens_To_Use_SQN1130_for_Wimax/551-80052-912.html
Integrated Front-End Module for Rapidly Emerging WiMAX Applications
Wednesday March 28, 8:00 am ET
Supports Popular Mobile Devices Such as Cellular Handsets, Smart Phones, Notebooks and Personal Digital Assistants
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWKS - News), an innovator of high performance analog and mixed signal semiconductors enabling mobile connectivity, today unveiled a new and highly integrated 2.5 GHz WiMAX front-end module (FEM) -- the SKY77258 -- enabling mobile devices such as cellular handsets, smart phones, notebooks, and personal digital assistants. Skyworks' differentiated solution leverages the company's leadership capabilities in front-end modules and supports an unprecedented level of linear-output power and gain, along with unmatched ease-of-integration.
"Skyworks is delighted to be offering highly integrated front-end modules in support of WiMAX applications - enabling ubiquitous personal broadband," said Brian M. Daly, vice president of marketing for Skyworks. "As momentum in this industry continues to build, Skyworks is ready to expand its market leadership position in front-end modules and power amplifiers to now include WiMAX applications."
Mobile WiMAX, a wireless digital communications system also known as IEEE 802.16e, is intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks," providing broadband wireless access up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and three - ten miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. It is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and higher data rates over longer distances - bridging the gap between fixed/nomadic wireless access technologies such as WiFi and mobile cellular technologies.
The market has been endorsed by operators, OEMs and semiconductor manufacturers who have increasingly focused their attention on this growing industry. For example, Sprint Nextel's announcement last year to adopt mobile WiMAX as their next-generation 4G technology platform continued to validate the market.
According to In-Stat, a market research firm, WiMAX is poised for rapid growth as service providers are now able to buy WiMAX Forum-certified equipment. Worldwide subscribers are estimated to reach 222,000 in 2006 and are forecasted to grow to 19.7 million by 2010, with much of WiMAX's early success coming from the under-developed regions of the world. Most of the subscribers are in the Asia/Pacific region, and almost all subscribers are using a fixed service today, with the exception of South Korea. In addition, WiMAX is primed to be a fixed wireless and mobile access solution that will co-exist alongside cellular 3G. The more developed the region, the more important it will be for WiMAX to be mobile.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070328/20070328005034.html?.v=1
Mobile Television Meets WiMAX
by Mike Duran — last modified 2007-03-26 07:53 AM
By Carl Townsend
March 26th, 2007
What happens when you take two of the most popular technologies in the last 50 years - television and the cell phone - and bring them together? Furthermore, what if you could simplify the delivery and management of that experience through a single, global wireless broadband standard?
This week at CTIA in Orlando, Florida, a California-based company will be demonstrating television over a mobile WiMAX network. Last August, the company announced its support for mobile WiMAX and that is was working to integrate it into a broad range of emerging video and television technologies. It also offered a demonstration earlier this year at CES in Las Vegas.
"One of the things we are showing is how well suited WiMAX is for television and video," says MobiTV's CTO Kay Johansson. "WIMAX gives you true mobile internet with streaming as high as 1Mbps which delivers very good quality video to a number of devices including mobile phones, PCs and PDAs."
So what exactly are MobiTV subscribers watching? "We are seeing quite a bit of live TV as well as video on demand," says Johansson. "Let's say you have 10 minutes and you want to catch up on the latest news, sports or music videos. You bring it up on your device and it's all right there. Overall what we are seeing is that the TV has become more personal and people want to take that experience with them."
Essentially what MobiTV provides is managed hosted application service for carriers that are looking to provide video services to their users. For example, if a carrier decides it wants to offer television and mobile video to its users, then MobiTV can provide a complete, integrated turn-key solution from satellite feeds to helping carries ensure that their subscriber devices work properly. "The advantage of what we provide is not in the technology per se, but in the complete managed solution that we provide. We work with the carriers to help them understand the possibilities of the distribution of mobile content."
MobiTV first launched its service in 2003 and has grown to over 2 million subscribers as of last month, more than doubling its base in a year. Its subscribers pay monthly fees to access more than 100 channels world-wide and over 40 in the US.
The company also functions as a content aggregator and has signed hundreds of deals with content providers. The company recently signed a deal with NBC Universal to make prime-time shows such as "The Office" on an ad-free per episode charge.
The company runs a state-of-the-art network operations center where it manages all aspects of content delivery and quality. "A lot of our intellectual IP has been put into delivering a great customer experience and controlling the quality of service", says Johansson. "We are essentially technology agnostic when it comes to the delivery method. We have delivered our technology over many types of networks including DVB-H and TD-CDMA, but have done more cellular because that is where the customers are."
"The strongest differentiator for WiMAX is not necessarily the performance improvements that it enables, but rather the reduced cost and ease of deployment that it provides", says Johansson. "There is still a tremendous amount of network capacity on 3G networks. All other factors being equal, a WiMAX network will be cheaper to deploy than a traditional UMTS or EVDO-A network due to the type of components being utilized."
WiMAX also offers advantages in the delivery method of the content based on user demand. "There's often a big mis-understandings in the industry on who MobiTV is" says Johansson. "Some think we are the 'unicast' guys and Medioflo are the broadcast guys."
In the content delivery world, unicast refers to the transmission of content or data packets to a singe end user, such as a customer requesting video on demand services. Broadcast technologies, such as those used by Qualcom's MedioFlo and DVB-H transmit to many different users simultaneously. "The truth is that with technologies like WiMAX we have the ability to manage to both models depending on user demand thereby optimizing bandwidth requirements", says Johansson.
WiMAX also provides a single network to seamlessly manage interactive video and advertising services. "With traditional broadcast technologies such as Medioflo and DVB-H, you need a backchannel to handle the interaction", says Johansson. "This can typically be done with the existing data services, but WiMAX simplifies this through its full-duplex, bi-directional delivery capabilities. This provides for simpler integration and deployment from the carrier perspective."
Carriers are finding advertising and other services increasing popular as the look to maximize their ARPU (average revenue per unit). For example, a user watching a music video could be offered the opportunity to instantly purchase the ring-tone of that artist. For advertisers, users can be given the option of selecting a longer form of an advertisement or request the nearest location of the store.
"WiMAX is a key strategic technology that enables a better Mobile TV experience, says Johansson". "WiMAX is designed for the ground-up for high bandwidth application and takes all the best parts of Wi-FI -simplicity of deployment and cellule's scalability, security, and roaming an provides them into one network".
http://www.wimax.com/commentary/spotlight/mobile-television-meets-wimax/
Another U.S. Foray for NTT DoCoMo? / Clearwire
BusinessWeek
News Analysis March 28, 2007, 12:00AM EST text size: TT
In a move that hints at expansion, Japan's cellular leader is creating a U.S. advisory board led by former FCC head Michael Powell
Three years after a blistering loss on its last big U.S. investment, NTT DoCoMo may be ready for another foray across the Pacific. On the heels of its October appointment of a new president of DoCoMo USA, Japan's largest wireless provider is making its mark on CTIA, the wireless industry trade show in Orlando, with a big booth and a flurry of fancy new gadgets.
But in the biggest sign of a revived U.S. emphasis, DoCoMo (DCM) said on Mar. 27 that it's forming a U.S. advisory board to be headed by Michael Powell, former head of the Federal Communications Commission. "They are coming back alive again," says David Farber, the former FCC chief technologist who runs the influential technology newsletter Interesting-People and was a DoCoMo USA advisory board member from 2000 to 2004. "They are coming out of their shell." The previous board disbanded in August.
The company is mum on its U.S. ambitions, but industry veterans and analysts say the Japanese carrier could choose from a range of options—from offering mobile wallet and credit-card services through local carriers to taking equity stakes in companies such as troubled Sprint Nextel (S). "I expect a fair amount of activity in the coming months," says Andrew Cole, president of consultancy CSMG Adventis. "They are looking at a lot more than what they've done until now."
Financial Services......(see link for finanacial services section)........
Additional Possibilities
Some observers speculate DoCoMo also could use its wealth of wireless services and content to enter the U.S. market through a partnership with an existing carrier, creating what's known in industry parlance as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. That kind of arrangement would let it market cool services to younger users, for example. DoCoMo could also team up with a carrier such as Clearwire (CLWR) that's betting on WiMAX, the technology that provides fast Internet connections over large tracts of land.
Finally, there's the possibility, however remote, that DoCoMo could make a major acquisition. Powell is chairman of investment consultancy MK Powell Group. He's also a senior adviser of Providence Equity Capital, the private equity fund that worked on the buyout of satellite operator PanAmSat and in the past has teamed with the Carlyle Group—itself a potential buyer of Sprint Nextel (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/23/07, "Why $80 Billion for Sprint May Make Sense").
Previous Attempts
DoCoMo has had its fingers burnt before in the U.S. "I doubt they are going to dive into acquisitions," Farber says. In 2001, DoCoMo acquired a $9.8 billion minority stake in AT&T Wireless with the idea of helping the American cellular company launch new data services already popular in Japan (see BusinessWeek.com, 1/12/01, "Next on DoCoMo's Calling Card: The U.S."). The services never got off the ground, and when Cingular acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004, DoCoMo sold back its equity stake at a loss of $3.3 billion.
Since then, DoCoMo has limited its U.S. activities to minor investments in open-source cell-phone software maker MontaVista Software and Telargo, which provides U.S. fleet management services. Its two offices in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., have also focused on serving Japanese speakers shuttling between U.S. and Japan. DoCoMo offers BlackBerry (RIMM) messaging in Japanese and Wi-Fi access cards for airports worldwide.
Whatever DoCoMo's U.S. plans, the grass may be greener anywhere but Japan, where the market is becoming increasingly competitive. Rivalries with KDDI and SoftBank have intensified especially since last fall, when Japanese consumers were allowed to keep their mobile numbers when switching carriers. DoCoMo's Japanese rivals are cutting prices and going abroad for content (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/1/06, "Amp'd to Tap Japan's Mobile Market"). DoCoMo's net income for the first nine months ended December, 2006, was down 22% year over year. Its revenues are flat. "When you have competition at home, you start looking outward," says Farber. "And having a pipeline into the U.S. is always useful."
Kharif is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online in Portland, Ore.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070328_744461.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
CLWR: mentioned in today's Wall Street Journal
Tuesday , March 27, 2007 06:56ET
http://www.knobias.com/story.htm?eid=3.1.786bcc1e846a4b223b46eec92f6743f8ba6d507acbabbf195486b29a1b8...
Moto Boasts WiMax Networks
MARCH 27, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Motorola (NYSE:MOT) announced today it has nine contracts for the installation of 802.16e WiMAX networks and is taking part in 25 trials with the technology worldwide, confirming the growth of WiMAX especially in emerging markets. Motorola now has WiMAX trials and deployments underway in six continents.
The newest Motorola WiMAX trial agreement is with TVA, a multi-services operator in Brazil, which will conduct a trial for the use of mobile WiMAX technology (802.16e) in Rio de Janeiro. The solution will cover central Rio and part of the south of the city, providing wireless broadband services with voice, data and multimedia capacity for a select group of users.
The WiMAX platform, including use of the 2.5 GHz spectrum in line with Anatel regulations, enables rapid digital inclusion, as well as an opportunity to provide multimedia (voice, data and image) services. By digitalizing its MMDS (Multipoint Multichannel Distribution System) network, TVA is able to expand its service offering, creating a new model for competition.
In the agreement, Motorola will supply its wi4 WiMAX access points and end user equipment. WiMAX 802.16e permits indoor installation of customer premises equipment without line of sight to the radio base stations, ensuring high user service capacity. The technology also permits high data rates and a wider range of coverage than other currently available technologies.
The trial period will enable TVA to assess the performance of the technology in the differentiated demographic topology of the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the mobile TV, video, VoIP, and media streaming services and data applications.
"The digitalization of our MMDS network maximizes spectrum use, enabling us to offer our subscribers more services and products," said Virgilio Amaral, director of strategy and technology of TVA. "Additionally, we intend to extend our TVA at School social project, one of the targets of which is to provide broadband access, cable TV and content for public schools."
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=120435
http://louisville.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/03/05/story11.html?b=1173070800%5E1425805
Southtown excited about Wi-Fi
03/26/2007 06:33 PM CDT
Michelle Mondo
Express-News Staff Writer
Along South Alamo Street in Southtown, signs announcing free Wi-Fi have popped up in windows of several businesses.
At Casa Chiapas, a coffeehouse and restaurant, "Free Wi-Fi" is scrawled on a poster board outside. And just up the street at Jupiter, another coffeehouse, a small sign is attached to the door window with the same message about Wi-Fi — wireless fidelity technology.
Jupiter's owner, John W. Hopkins, said the Internet technology hasn't led to a boost in visitors, but he notices that people hang out for a little longer.
"We had quite a few in here the other afternoon," he said. "We had about four tables full, everyone with their computers."
The man financing the technology campaign hopes to turn Southtown into a free hot spot, or an area where users can log onto the Internet using Wi-Fi. Ed Lozano, owner of IgoSA.com, a local Web site, said the system still is being tested.
"You look around, and kids and everyone, they're all carrying laptops," he said. "People want to be connected."
Lozano discussed the matter with Juan Gutierrez, executive director of Southtown Urban Mainstreet Alliance. Gutierrez was eager to be a part of the Internet access project.
Gutierrez gained experience working with Wi-Fi in Philadelphia, where he helped promote tourism in that city.
"(Wi-Fi) is a great marketing tool for our shops and business corridor," Gutierrez said. "One of the long-term goals with Wi-Fi is to create a pod cast where visitors to San Antonio can connect to a pod cast and do a walking tour of the area with the history and background on shops in the neighborhood and not have to depend on tour operators."
So far, the Wi-Fi area extends along South Alamo Street from East Durango Boulevard on the north to Beauregard Street to the south, Lozano said. The routers are placed in privately owned businesses with the owners' permission, he added.
Gutierrez said he may expand in the future, possibly on the West or East sides, but for now Southtown is the testing area.
Not that the area is the only place to find hot spots. The city's public libraries all have wireless access, as do a variety of other restaurants and coffee shops. Telecommunication companies such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless also have looked at adding hot spots in San Antonio, according to earlier news reports.
Michael Armstrong, chief information officer for the city, said city officials are taking wireless seriously and are watching other cities' projects with interest. Most recently, Houston officials announced an attempt to add Wi-Fi throughout that city. However, Armstrong said, with the cost of outfitting San Antonio estimated at $30 million, officials want to make sure they have the best technology.
Armstrong said he's watching the progress of technology called WiMax, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access,according to its Web site, www.wimax.com.
"The next generation is WiMax," Armstrong said. "It provides a much higher speed at much greater distances. The Wi-Fi theoretical limit is 100 meters. WiMax can go up to 30 miles, depending how you set it up. That equipment is just now beginning to come to market.
"I'm not anxious to build something twice. (The city) is most concerned with government services — police, fire, EMS and all of our mobile employees — that will be best with WiMax."
Lozano said he doesn't want to compete with the mega telecommunication corporations or even the city. The goal of his endeavor, he said, is to make Internet access available to anyone who wants it. He said the Internet should not just be for people who can pay for it — and that includes small businesses that may not be able to afford having their own hot spots.
Casa Chiapas owner Eddie Martinez said his family business has been operating for about eight months. He believes that Wi-Fi is an addition that will attract customers.
"People are noticing it and asking about it, but I believe when we get it in full swing in more coverage areas, we can use that as a main tool," he said about promoting Southtown.
"I tell my customers and people I meet at mixers. I would be really surprised if we didn't get a bump (increase in customers), especially at my place, because we have a lot of people that use their computers here."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/neighbors/southeast/stories/MYSA032807.1H.SE.southtown.2c2056e.html
CTIA: WiMax in the Air
MARCH 27, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- CTIA Wireless -- There's a definite whiff of WiMax in the air down here in the Magic Kingdom.
Major vendors such as Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) and Siemens AG (NYSE: SI - message board; Frankfurt: SIE) are firming up their mobile strategies for the wireless broadband technology. Operator Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S - message board) is expected to add more color to its WiMax plans in the U.S. into 2008. Meanwhile, smaller companies such as Tropos Networks Inc. are bringing together WiFi, WiMax, and more, as well as new mesh networking products.
Motorola now says that it has nine contracts for the installation of 802.16e WiMax networks and is taking part in 25 trials with the technology worldwide. The company says that it is especially seeing mobile WiMax growth in "emerging markets."
Motorola's latest trial is with Brazilian operator, TVA, which will conduct a test using mobile WiMax technology in Rio de Janeiro. The operator will use 2.5GHz Motorola infrastructure and customer equipment to offer to test "mobile TV, video, VOIP, and media streaming services and data applications" and how WiMax performs in Rio.
All the major infrastructure vendors, however, are still awaiting the test and ratification of mobile WiMax devices. In the meantime, they are signing on key chip startups to pad their portfolios with the latest in mobile WiMax technology, some of which will hit mass volumes after the first wave of mobile products is -- hopefully -- certified by the WiMAX Forum .(See Motorola's WiMax Wait.)
To whit, Motorola has signed up Beceem Communications Inc. as a mobile silicon provider for its first generation WiMax CPE and PCMCIA card products. While Siemens AG (NYSE: SI - message board; Frankfurt: SIE) has chosen rival Sequans Communications to deliver faster "wave two" mobile WiMax chips, which are expected to hit the mass-market in 2008. (See Beceem Supplies Motorola and Siemens Picks Sequans.)
Meanwhile, mesh WiFi vendor Tropos, which supplies EarthLink Inc. with municipal kit, has unveiled a new citywide networking system that can support a number of different radio types -- from 802.11, to WiMax and 4.9GHz public safety systems.
Tropos has been working on a multi-radio, multi-mode system for a while. Unstrung first heard about such a product back in July 2006. (See Mesh Mash-Up.)
Such a system would allow operators to more easily support public and private access over one platform; as well as possibly providing different levels of speeds and services via WiFi and WiMax.
The early documents around the EarthLink and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG - message board) San Francisco municipal project show that operators are already thinking about faster broadband over muni, potentially using WiMax. The initial agreement sates that "Earthlink will offer a high-speed, point-to-point fixed wireless product [3 Mbit/s or best effort] by the time of the Final Network Acceptance." (See WiMax's Bay Window.)
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=120432
Nortel Sees Growth From WiMax With New Trial Client
By Ari Levy
March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Nortel Networks Corp. added Mobile Satellite Ventures LP to its roster of trial customers for a new high-speed wireless technology, in a bid to gain clients after losing sales in other divisions to rivals.
The company is doing trials in North America, Europe and Asia, Peter MacKinnon, Nortel's general manager of WiMax, said in an interview. Nortel doubled its WiMax investment last year and has three commercial customers for the standard, which allows wireless carriers to offer faster video downloads.
Nortel has lost money in seven of the past eight quarters as rivals such as Cisco Systems Inc. won clients for corporate phone gear and networking equipment. Nortel, North America's biggest maker of phone gear, sold off a wireless unit to Alcatel-Lucent last year to help fund spending on WiMax, betting companies' upgrades to the standard will fuel sales growth.
``It's a big leap of faith,' said Jeremy Duke, chief executive officer of Synergy Research Group in Reno, Nevada. ``If it pays off, it will pay off big. It's such a nascent market.'
The second quarter ``is when a lot of the trials are going to deliver,' MacKinnon said ahead of Nortel's announcement today at the CTIA Wireless Conference in Orlando. ``2007 is really the year we can prove that WiMax is not this niche application.' He declined to say how much Nortel is spending.
Nortel has invested in WiMax as its global share of corporate phone equipment sales fell. Nortel had 13.3 percent of sales last year, compared with 13.7 percent in 2004, while Cisco's share in that period almost doubled, according to Synergy.
WiMax Revenue
Worldwide revenue for WiMax equipment vendors was $200 million to $230 million last year, according to Daryl Schoolar, an analyst at Scottsdale, Arizona-based In-Stat. The biggest carriers may take up to 10 years to adopt the technology, which could curb immediate growth for Nortel, he said.
WiMax encompasses entire cities, compared with the smaller areas earlier wireless standards can cover. Nortel's trial contract with Mobile, a Reston, Virginia-based provider of satellite communications, is to build an integrated WiMax and IP Multimedia System network for clients in the U.S. and Canada.
While MacKinnon expects Nortel to announce more WiMax deals this year, none may be as big as an investment by Sprint-Nextel Corp., which doesn't include Nortel. Sprint, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, chose Motorola Inc., Nokia Oyj and Samsung Electronics Co. for its network, and plans to spend as much as $2 billion by the end of next year.
``We haven't seen a push by any large, tier-one carriers except Sprint,' said Schoolar. ``This isn't a humongous market and it's going to be a while before it happens.'
Shares of Nortel rose 16 cents to $24.31 at 10 a.m. in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. They had dropped 18 percent in the past year before today.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aASTFfZmGuWg
NEC Corporation of America Officially Launches Mobile WiMAX for the North American Market
Tuesday March 27, 9:00 am ET
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NEC Corporation of America, Inc. (NEC), a leading provider of microwave radio communications products, today announced the availability of its Mobile WiMAX solution targeting the global market, a broadband wireless access (BWA) offering that enables the convergence of mobile and fixed broadband networks through common wide area broadband radio access technologies and a flexible network architecture.
With today's launch, NEC introduces the first WiMAX BWA system based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard also compliant with WiMAX Forum's Wave-2 System Profile for fixed and mobile broadband access services. Suited for operation on Sub-11GHz licensed bands, and its enhanced Physical Layer and mobility extension, QoS support brings carriers better business feasibility.
NEC's latest standards-based Mobile WiMAX solution includes Wave-2 System Profile features to provide enhanced system performance when compared to previous 802.16-2004 and Wave-1 System Profile standard solutions. This new standard addresses mobility extensions for future operator growth and enhanced coverage through embedded enhancements in the standard - which delivers better uplink capabilities, enabling NEC to deliver "true broadband" and improved "indoor NLOS coverage."
In addition, NEC Mobile WiMAX Air Interface adopts MIMO and Beam Forming techniques to further improve the transmission capacity of the radio system; enabling greater mobility and throughput capacity for users.
With outstanding performance and features, NEC helps carriers minimize CAPEX/OPEX by maximizing the carrier investment through the system's flexibility and low latency design. This enables multi-service provisioning for data, voice, and video at an optimum quality. The added mobility features in the new standard support both mobile telecommunication services as well as enhance the coverage and spectrum efficiency in fixed deployments.
"We believe that many fixed operators are facing strict competition and a declining number of subscribers due to the penetration of mobile services," said Tadatoshi Fujiwara, general manager, Mobile Network Solutions Division, NEC Corporation. "NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution can operate as a countermeasure acting as the gear to expand fixed broadband data services to mobile platforms. In this case, NEC's Mobile WiMAX system can be used to add broadband data service in mobility to enhance competitiveness against the mobile incumbents."
Initially NEC intends to deliver WiMAX for broadband Internet connections to customers through digital waves that provide connections between direct fixed and mobile subscribers as well as backhaul networks for WLAN hotspots. The technology can allow users to build reliable WMAN networks covering wider area than Wi-Fi hot spots using licensed frequency bands.
NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution can be introduced either as a full mobile capable platform from the beginning or in a multi-phased approach starting from a fixed broadband access service to complement xDSL and FTTx systems. It can also serve as an alternative access method for new carriers, that can migrate in the future to a full mobility platform - in order to allow roaming between base stations, laptops, PDA users and mobile handsets, portable entertainment players and game terminals - using the same Base Station hardware. Operators can optimize their investment by applying this multi-phased approach and by adjusting to their system capability and service. NEC Mobile WiMAX can also serve as a viable alternative technology for high-speed data mobile service for non-3G licensed carriers and can complement nationwide wireless 3G services.
For those operators that may not need advanced mobility from day one, NEC's WiMAX solution provides a smooth migration path to add mobility and inter-system handoff, when needed. This provides operators and carriers the future opportunity to integrate mobile communication business into their portfolios, and to expand the access service to applications supporting communications within public transportation, mobile office applications, machine-to-machine communications, and social infrastructure to support radio tags and telematics.
One of the key benefits to the NEC Mobile WiMAX system is the capability to make a smooth migration to mobile services. The level of mobility can be adjusted from Nomadic, Simple Mobility, and Full Mobility based on an operator's business scenario and budget.
Outside of North America, NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution is adding value to existent 3G networks by complementing existent carrier network in order to provide broadband data services as an add-on service to carriers with special mobility requirements demanding high throughput data services.
"The network trend is moving towards fixed and mobile convergence, which drives rapid integration of different technologies and systems on to a single network platform," said Tsuneyoshi Miura, vice president, Radio Communications Systems Division of NEC Corporation of America. "NEC's goal is to achieve ubiquitous network coverage combining various access means, wired or wireless, all seamlessly interconnected and controlled by the IP network layer. As a total network solution provider, NEC's Mobile WiMAX system will integrate the powerful wireless access systems into the core; introducing application business platforms and personal terminal solutions that enables NEC's to deliver a full package for operators to strengthen their revenue streams."
NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution is generally available today, and is being exhibited at CTIA WIRELESS 2007 at booth #4103.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070327/20070327005062.html?.v=1
Internet Users Get a New Choice
Published on Tuesday, March 27, 2007
By MAI HOANG
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Another Internet service is now available in the Yakima Valley.
Clearwire, a Kirkland, Wash., based wireless Internet company, today officially kicks off service to residents in Yakima, Ellensburg, Selah and the Lower Yakima Valley. Its customers can access the Internet from anywhere in its service area through a wireless modem.
It is the fifth metropolitan area in Washington to receive service from Clearwire, which is already in Seattle/Tacoma, Bellingham, Tri-Cities and Wenatchee areas, as well as in 350 cities worldwide.
Data is transmitted through government-licensed radio waves via a set of towers, similar to that of a cell phone network.
"Clearwire operates in the licensed ranges, which gives us additional security," said Bill Dochnahl, general manager for Clearwire's service in the Yakima, Tri-Cities and Wenatchee markets.
The publicly traded company has received much attention for its financial backers, which include Intel and Motorola, and its adoption of WiMAX, a new form of wireless technology.
The service is sold though dozens of dealers, such as local cell phone and home electronics dealers, throughout the Valley. The company has hired local customer service representatives and technicians, Dochnahl said.
Clearwire will demonstrate the new service today from 4 to 8 p.m. at the 2007 Yakima Chamber Business Expo, which will be at the Yakima Convention Center.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/288513614168472
Sprint Announces New WiMax, Converged TV-Phone Service
Carrier names WiMax device makers, further WiMax expansion plans, and a name for its TV-phone-wireless service.
Yardena Arar, PC World
PC World
Monday, March 26, 2007; 6:32 PM
ORLANDO, Florida--Sprint Nextel today expanded the roster of cities that will be wired for WiMax, the 4th-generation wireless telecom technology that it plans to launch commercially next year.
At a news conference on the eve of the CTIA Wireless trade show here, company executives said Samsung, ZTE and ZyXel will make its first WiMax modems and adapters. Sprint Nextel also announced a name for the converged TV-phone-cell phone service it has launched in partnership with several major cable companies: Pivot.
Sprint had previously named Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. as the first cities where it will offer pilot WiMax programs later this year. Sprint is working with Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia to develop additional WiMax markets in 2008. They are: Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Seattle.
Sprint says it expects its commercial WiMax launch to take place in April 2008; the company anticipates the service will be available to 100 million people by the end of 2008. WiMax is expected to deliver real-world bandwidth on the order of 2 to 4 megabits per second, compared to the 300 to 700 kilobits per second today's EVDO wireless service delivers.
"This is a game-changing environment," said Atish Gude, senior vice president for mobile operations.
Samsung will make WiMax and dual-mode WiMax-EVDO PC cards for the new service, Sprint officials said. ZTE, a major Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer, will make WiMax cards in the USB and ExpressCard formats, as well as other WiMax modems. ZyXel will also make WiMax modems, Gude said.
Sprint is already offering converged landline/cell phone/TV services in partnership with cable companies, including Advance/Newhouse, Comcast, Cox, and Time Warner Cable. But today the service got a name, Pivot.
Pivot, which will be co-branded with the provider's name (e.g. Comcast Pivot), allows (or will allow) customers to get their phone and cable services on a single bill; unify their mobile and landline voice messaging systems; access their cable TV listings remotely; and generally access data whether they're at home or on the road.
The service is already available in eight markets; Sprint says it will be in 40 markets by year's end.
For more CTIA news coverage from PC World, go to our Cell Phones & PDAs Info Center.
© 2007 PC World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601181.html
Sprint Unveils More WiMax Cities, Devices
March 26, 2007
Date Posted: Today, 6:43 AM
Source: Sprint Nextel
Sprint today continued to reveal more of its WiMax rollout plans. It still expects to launch coverage in the three cities
announced later this year. Today it was announced all three hardware providers will build out coverage in additional cities that will launch in early 2008. They are Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, Denver, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Sprint also announced it will sell both Wimax and dual-mode data cards from Samsung, ZTE and ZyXel.
March 26, 2007 04:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Sprint Announces WiMAX Ecosystem Initiatives
* Device discussions under way with Samsung, ZTE, ZyXEL
* WiMAX Device and Chipset ecosystem program debuts
* Nineteen Sprint WiMAX U.S. service markets named
* WiMAX on display at CTIA Wireless 2007 in Orlando
CTIA Wireless 2007
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) today announced further progress with the development of its upcoming Mobile WiMAX advanced multimedia network, citing wireless device and chipset initiatives while identifying additional service markets. Sprint is developing a large scale advanced wireless broadband network designed to mobilize the Internet, bring wireless innovation to devices and new multimedia mobile applications to customers. The company plans initial service launches in several markets by yearend 2007 and expects to make commercial service available in a number of markets by April 2008, ultimately reaching 100 million people across the country by yearend 2008.
“Sprint has taken a leadership role in the WiMAX network development arena and is working with other technology leaders to quickly bring advanced mobile broadband services to reality,” said Barry West, president, 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint. “Recent developments attest to the viability of our strategy, as more companies align with our vision and apply their expertise to the momentum building behind Sprint WiMAX services.”
Sprint will work with WiMAX ecosystem partners and others to incorporate WiMAX technology in a range of computing, portable multi-media, interactive and other business and consumer electronic devices. By wirelessly enabling the multitude of stand-alone consumer electronic devices that currently lack connectivity or Internet access, Sprint will facilitate digital life amid a new era of user-generated content and Internet connectivity dependency. In support of that vision:
* Sprint has chosen Samsung for PC cards available in both single WiMAX mode and dual CDMA 1xEV DO/WiMAX mode for WiMAX service launch use. Additionally, Sprint has selected ZTE Corporation, China’s largest listed telecommunications manufacturer and key WiMAX developer, to supply multiple WiMAX 802.16e devices including PC cards in express and USB form factors as well as advanced modem solutions; and ZyXEL Communications Inc. of Anaheim, Calif. for modem products.
* Sprint announced the launch of a new WiMAX Device and Chipset Ecosystem program in order to accelerate the pace of WiMAX-embedded device development and have a wide variety of WiMAX-enabled access devices available for customers. The program will facilitate the dialog between chipset and device makers, and is designed to guide manufacturers on required specifications, features, functionality and product design;
* Additional WiMAX service areas were identified for the 2008 launch calendar. Motorola will develop Chicago*, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minneapolis; Samsung will develop Baltimore*, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Washington D.C.*; Nokia will develop Austin*, Dallas*, Denver, Fort Worth*, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio* and Seattle. Additional location information will be provided when available.
* Sprint will demonstrate Mobile WiMAX technology at booth #2987 during CTIA Wireless 2007 March 27-29 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
These efforts are ultimately intended to allow Sprint customers to experience a nationwide mobile broadband network that is designed to offer faster speeds, lower cost, greater convenience and enhanced multimedia quality. The Sprint WiMAX mobile broadband network will use the company’s extensive 2.5GHz spectrum holdings, which cover 85 percent of the households in the top 100 U.S. markets.
http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=2132
USA Today: Wireless Industry Buzzing about WiMAX
USA Today - Mar 26 9:04 AM
Marguerite Reardon for News.com
As top executives gather in Orlando, this week at the CTIA Wireless 2007 trade show, an emerging technology called WiMax will likely be a hot topic among carriers and equipment makers from around the world. Many, in fact, are gearing up to deploy WiMax services.
Mobile operators have barely rolled out their new third-generation wireless networks, and they're already talking about the fourth generation. As next-generation cellular technologies — including those of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) project, whose mission is to guide the evolution of GSM cellular networks — have trouble getting off the ground, <the industry has been turning its attention toward the WiMax packet-based technology.
"If the 3GSM show is any indication, then I think we will be hearing a lot about WiMax at CTIA," said Mohammad Shakouri, vice president of marketing for the Wimax Forum, referring to the 3GSM World Congress trade show held in February in Barcelona. "The technology is getting close to commercialization, and there has been a lot of buzz the past several months."
WiMax, which is similar to another packet-based wireless technology, Wi-Fi, already has the foundation for a strong ecosystem thanks to support from handset and infrastructure makers including Motorola, Samsung and Nokia, as well as from chipmaker Intel.
These companies are all expected to have WiMax products in the market sometime this year, and some will be shown off at CTIA. Samsung, for example, is expected to have on hand some of its already-announced WiMax-ready gear, including a handset, ultra-mobile PC and a new USB dongle that offers wireless broadband for laptops.
The WiMax Forum, the industry group that promotes the technology, has almost completed the necessary certification requirements for new products, another major step that could help push deployment. According to Shakouri, products using the 2.3GHz spectrum, which is used primarily in South Korea, will be certified by midyear. Products using the 3.5GHz will be certified in the third quarter, and products using the 2.5GHz spectrum, which is used mostly in the U.S., will have certification available by the end of the year.
WiMax, whose transmission distances range from a few hundred feet in densely populated areas to more than a mile in suburban areas, can support peak data speeds of 20 megabits per second, although average-user data rates fall between 2mbps and 8mbps. Data rates for the next-stage 3G cellular service — sometimes called 3.5G — are about 3mbps.
Asian markets lead the way
Momentum among carriers is already building. In Japan more WiMax-compatible spectrum will be allocated by the government later this year. Korea Telecom in South Korea is already committed to launching its WiMax service this year. There are also plans to launch WiMax services in India, Malaysia and Pakistan, as well as in parts of Eastern Europe, Shakouri said. And the government in Taiwan is spending $1 billion to encourage the manufacture and development of 2.5GHz WiMax products and applications.
In the U.S. Sprint, the No. 3 carrier, has already said it plans to spend $3 billion over the next two years to build a WiMax network, which is expected to be able to provide service to 100 million people by the end of 2008. Sprint is using its existing 2.5GHz spectrum, half of which it acquired from its merger with Nextel, to deliver the new service.
Earlier this year, it announced that Chicago and Baltimore/ Washington, D.C would be the first two markets to get the service, by the end of 2007. Nokia, which is providing handsets and infrastructure for the network, named an additional four markets, in Texas, for deployment in early 2008: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
Currently, the only other operator in the U.S. using WiMax is a start-up called Clearwire, which was founded by mobile-industry billionaire Craig McCaw. Today it delivers WiMax broadband services to fixed locations, but eventually the company will offer mobile service as well. Clearwire, which raised $900 million in venture backing this summer, went public earlier this month.
Copyright ©1995-2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/cnet/2007-03-26-wimax-buzz_N.htm?csp=34
CNET News: Wireless Industry Gears Up for WiMAX
Mon Mar 26 04:00:03 PDT 2007
By Marguerite Reardon
WiMax, which is similar to another packet-based wireless technology, Wi-Fi, already has the foundation for a strong ecosystem thanks to support from handset and infrastructure makers including Motorola, Samsung and Nokia, as well as from chipmaker Intel.
These companies are all expected to have WiMax products in the market sometime this year, and some will be shown off at CTIA. Samsung, for example, is expected to have on hand some of its already-announced WiMax-ready gear, including a handset, ultra-mobile PC and a new USB dongle that offers wireless broadband for laptops.
The WiMax Forum, the industry group that promotes the technology, has almost completed the necessary certification requirements for new products, another major step that could help push deployment. According to Shakouri, products using the 2.3GHz spectrum, which is used primarily in South Korea, will be certified by midyear. Products using the 3.5GHz will be certified in the third quarter, and products using the 2.5GHz spectrum, which is used mostly in the U.S., will have certification available by the end of the year.
WiMax, whose transmission distances range from a few hundred feet in densely populated areas to more than a mile in suburban areas, can support peak data speeds of 20 megabits per second, although average-user data rates fall between 2mbps and 8mbps. Data rates for the next-stage 3G cellular service--sometimes called 3.5G--are about 3mbps.
Asian markets lead the way
Momentum among carriers is already building. In Japan more WiMax-compatible spectrum will be allocated by the government later this year. Korea Telecom in South Korea is already committed to launching its WiMax service this year. There are also plans to launch WiMax services in India, Malaysia and Pakistan, as well as in parts of Eastern Europe, Shakouri said. And the government in Taiwan is spending $1 billion to encourage the manufacture and development of 2.5GHz WiMax products and applications.
In the U.S. Sprint, the No. 3 carrier, has already said it plans to spend $3 billion over the next two years to build a WiMax network, which is expected to be able to provide service to 100 million people by the end of 2008. Sprint is using its existing 2.5GHz spectrum, half of which it acquired from its merger with Nextel, to deliver the new service.
Earlier this year, it announced that Chicago and Baltimore/ Washington, D.C would be the first two markets to get the service, by the end of 2007. Nokia, which is providing handsets and infrastructure for the network, named an additional four markets, in Texas, for deployment in early 2008: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
Currently, the only other operator in the U.S. using WiMax is a start-up called Clearwire, which was founded by mobile-industry billionaire Craig McCaw. Today it delivers WiMax broadband services to fixed locations, but eventually the company will offer mobile service as well. Clearwire, which raised $900 million in venture backing this summer, went public earlier this month.
But building the network is only one part of the challenge, WiMax will also fundamentally change the business model of wireless service providers.
For one, those who support the technology envision that WiMax chips will be embedded not only in mobile phones but in a plethora of mobile devices, from MP3 players to digital cameras, that won't be marketed or sold by WiMax network operators, even though the devices will work on their networks.
More devices, a bit less control
Analysts say there are pros and cons to this approach.
"It's a double-edged sword," said Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. "The operator doesn't have to subsidize the devices, but they are also giving up some control."
And because more devices will be able to access the network, operators such as Sprint will likely have to adapt their subscription models.
Today, people must subscribe to separate services if they have more than one device accessing the cellular network. But in a WiMax world, where someone might own three or four WiMax-competible devices, separate subscriptions for each of those devices to access the network wouldn't make sense.
Paul Polivka, spokesman for Sprint, said the company hasn't finalized its subscription model, but he said it will likely offer different tiers of service that would allow people to connect a certain number of devices to the WiMax network for a given price.
"If you have a household where there is a media player, a gaming station, a camera and a phone, and you want wireless broadband access for all of them, you could buy a bundled subscription," he said.
But WiMax operators may also partner with application providers to offer other variations of the service. Golvin suggested that Sprint may partner with a company like Kodak, which would bundle WiMax into its online picture-sharing service. This might allow people to automatically upload their photos over a WiMax network as soon as they're taken.
Even though Sprint's plans and Clearwire's IPO have generated a lot of buzz here in the U.S. for WiMax, The WiMax Forum's Shakouri said he expects WiMax to grow more rapidly outside the U.S. In mature technology markets, such as Japan and South Korea, mobile WiMax is seen as a compliment to existing 3G wireless networks where users are already hungry for the next boost in wireless bandwidth.
In developing markets, such as India, Malaysia or Pakistan, WiMax can help provide fixed broadband services in places where operators are unable to cost-effectively deploy other broadband technologies, because they lack the wired infrastructure.
But in the U.S. market, Shakouri said, WiMax spectrum is limited, and right now Sprint and Clearwire are the only two major carriers with enough of it to support a service. What's more, consumers in the U.S. are just starting to use 3G data networks, and the two largest cellular service providers, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, also happen to be two of the largest broadband providers in the U.S. As a result, there is little incentive for them to offer fixed-address WiMax service as broadband replacement.
"Clearwire and Sprint are very committed to WiMax," Shakouri said. "And we wish there were more carriers in the U.S. interested, but there isn't enough spectrum available right now. That's why I think we'll see deployment happen a lot faster in other parts of the world, especially Asia."
Copyright ©1995-2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6170174.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
PA cuts battery drain in mobile WiMAX terminals;
Posted: 26 Mar 2007
The ADL5570 from Analog Devices Inc. is a high-linearity power amplifier (PA) designed for mobile WiMAX terminals. The device is optimized for operation in the 2.3-2.4GHz band and provides good performance across frequency bands from 2.5GHz to 2.7GHz. It promises high levels of linearity, output power and efficiency to ensure seamless connectivity and reduce battery drain in portable devices.
Key design consideration
Battery life is a key consideration in the design of portable applications such as laptop PCs, cellular handsets and PDAs. Compared to WiMAX PAs from other vendors, the ADL5570 consumes half the current and offers an power-added efficiency (PAE) of more than 20 percent. This lower power consumption limits the need for heat sinks, increases system reliability and reduces size and cost. The exceptional output power of the ADL5570 is complemented by high linearity, which enables the higher data rates and increased signal propagation required for reliable WiMAX broadband connections.
The output 1dB compression point (P1dB) of 31dBm allows the ADL5570 to operate in the linear region at output power levels of up to 26dBm—at 3.5V supply and 2.35GHz—while maintaining an error vector magnitude of less than 3 percent to minimize system-level signal noise. The combination of high output power, efficiency and signal fidelity provide users of WiMAX communications devices longer operation and fewer breaks in transmission, maximizing their mobile broadband experience. Moreover, the ADL5570 features a gain of 29dB, which allows the device to be used with various transceivers.
Low-power mode
Operating with a single 3.2-5.5V supply, the ADL5570 consumes 250mA rms. A low-power mode is also available for operation at levels less than 10dBm, with optimized operating and quiescent currents of 100mA and 70mA, respectively. A standby mode is also available, which reduces the quiescent current to 10mA and is useful when a time-division duplex terminal is receiving data.
The ADL5570 is sampling today, with volume production scheduled for May 2007. Priced at $3 per unit in 10,000-piece quantities, it is available in a 16-pin 4-by-4mm LFCSP. The device is specified over the extended industrial temperature range (-40°C to 85°C).
http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800458144_765245_8893e975200703_no.HTM
This article was printed from EE Times - Asia located at:
http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800458144_765245_8893e975200703_no.HTM http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800458144_765245_8893e975200703_no.HTM
Intel mobile WiMax card coming this year
March 08, 2006 (IDG News Service) -- Intel Corp. on Tuesday demonstrated the technology on which mobile WiMax will be based and said it will deliver a PC Card using the system in the second half of this year.
Mobile WiMax is a WAN technology intended to deliver 1Mbit/sec. or more to devices in motion. It will be based on IEEE 802.16e, a specification approved late last year, and the WiMax Forum industry group will certify the products. Intel and other vendors have come under criticism over the past few years for overhyping WiMax, but Intel has forecast that WiMax will spread like Wi-Fi wireless LANs have, thanks to standardized high-volume manufacturing.
Sean Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's mobility group, demonstrated the technology during a keynote address at Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Maloney used an 802.16e PC Card in a notebook that was attached to an electric scooter and was based on Intel's Napa platform. The system delivered about 2Mbit/sec. of throughput, supported a live video blog from a camera on the scooter, and showed driving directions and a real-time weather forecast from the Web.
WiMax can be used in any of a broad range of frequency bands, and different bands are expected to be used in different regions, mostly by carriers who have licensed the spectrum. The PC Card coming this year will use the 2.3-GHz to 2.5-GHz band, which Maloney said is being examined for WiMax in Asia. In the U.S., Sprint Nextel Corp. holds a large number of licenses for spectrum around the 2.5-GHz band, and Clearwire Corp. already offers a mobile wireless broadband service in that frequency range in some areas.
Maloney also showed off a prototype chip set for both WiMax and Wi-Fi, capable of shifting among frequencies in the 2.3-GHz to 2.5-GHz band, the 3.5-GHz band and the entire 5-GHz band, he said. Those ranges encompass the 2.4-GHz and 5.8-GHz bands that are used for 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LANs, as well as the upcoming high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, he said.
Within about three years, Intel expects Wi-Fi and WiMax to merge onto one chip set, Maloney said. The chip set shown on Tuesday is the first step toward that, Maloney said.
The first generation of WiMax products, designed for use in one place, hit the market in certified form in late January after some missed targets in standards approval and testing. Maloney said there have been "significant" increases in volume and declines in prices on those products already.
http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,109338,00.html?source=x10
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SANYO Picks Beceem for its entry into the mobile WiMAX (802.16e) handset market:
Sanyo Picks Beceem
MARCH 20, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Beceem Communications, a leading provider of chipsets for Mobile WiMAX technology, today announced that SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) has chosen Beceem's BCS200 chipset as the foundation for its entry into the mobile WiMAX (802.16e) handset market. SANYO will use the BCS200 chipset and systems software in the development of a dual-mode CDMA/WiMAX mobile phone with wave 2 functionality.
"We are very pleased to be working with SANYO, a recognized leader in the CDMA handset market in both the United States and Japan," said David M. Patterson, Vice President of marketing at Beceem. "Our BCS200 solution is ideally suited for the CDMA/WiMAX dual-mode handset being developed by SANYO."
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"SANYO has chosen Beceem because of its continued leadership in mobile WiMAX," said Tetsuhiro Maeda, Vice President of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. and Personal Mobile Group Telecom Company. "We believe that the BCS200 is a vital component in our ability to develop CDMA/802.16e handsets that deliver the features and performance that operators and consumers expect in a SANYO handset."
Beceem Communications BCS200 mobile WiMAX solution includes the BCSB200 baseband processor, BCSR200 direct conversion radio and modem software. Leveraging extensive field test experience in its wave 2 software, the BCS200 is ideal for meeting the unique requirements of mobile WiMAX handsets, which includes a small footprint and low power consumption.
Beceem Communications Inc.
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=119851
GaN transistors boost WiMAX power amplification by 50%
(03/23/07, 08:50:00 AM EDT)
By Ismini Scouras
eeProductCenter
Durham, N.C.— Cree Inc. is shipping sample quantities of three gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) that are capable of boosting WiMAX power amplification efficiency by up to 50 percent.
The CGH27015S, CGH35015S and CGH35030F provide linear power and efficiency for WiMAX and broadband wireless access applications operating between 2.3 GHz and 3.9 GHz.
The CGH27015S, contained in a small 3-mm x 3-mm plastic over-mold QFN package, typically produces 2.5 watts of average output power and 28-percent drain efficiency over the frequency range of 2.3 GHz to 2.9 GHz.
According to Cree, this represents up to a 40-percent improvement in device efficiency when compared with traditional technologies such as silicon LDMOS or GaAs under WiMAX signals and requirements (802.16-2004). It also features 15 dB of small-signal gain and 2.0-percent error vector magnitude (EVM) under orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation when operated at 28 volts.
The CGH35015S, also provided in an over-mold QFN package, typically produces more than 2.5 watts of average power and 28-percent drain efficiency with typical small-signal gain of 13 dB over the frequency range of 3.3 to 3.9 GHz. According to Cree, this represents up to a 50-percent improvement in device efficiency when compared with silicon LDMOS or GaAs under WiMAX signals.
In addition, the CGH35030F transistor provides 4 watts of average power with 23-percent efficiency over the 3.3 to 3.9-GHz frequency range. This component features more than 11-dB gain and two-percent EVM under OFDM modulation. When employed in an efficiency-enhancement circuit, a pair of these transistors produced more than 10 watts of average power with over 42-percent efficiency in the 3.5 GHz WiMAX band, according to the company.
All three of the Cree devices are EU RoHS-compliant.
Cree Inc., 919-313-5300, www.cree.com
http://www.embedded.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198500372
Mobile Media, WiMAX to Top CTIA Agenda:
23 March 2007
Picture Relating to Story
The mobile industry's frenzied efforts to reinvent itself as a media business will continue apace at the CTIA Wireless conference in Orlando next week, according to predictions from telecoms.com's parent, Informa Telecoms & Media.
Although a majority of revenue growth is being delivered by developing markets where basic voice and text are the most needed services, mobile TV, WiMAX and mobile advertising will still top the agenda at the event.
Gavin Patterson, principal analyst at Informa, said that the US is forecast to be the fourth fastest growing country in terms of net additions in 2007, behind India, China and Pakistan.
This highlights the fact that in the mature markets of Europe, North America and Asia the search is still on for new revenue streams that will compensate for the stagnating voice business, Paterson said.
The search for new revenue streams is likely to have intensified with the introduction of higher speed mobile technologies like HSDPA and cdma2000 1x EV-DO Revision A.
Mobile television was one of hottest topic at CTIA 2006 and visitors this year will be expecting to see how the operational trials and content are coming along. Verizon Wireless' VCast service is expected to be under the spotlight.
The role of WiMAX in future mobile networks will also draw much debate, particularly in the light of Craig McCaw's $600m IPO of Clearwire, which raised funds for a mobile WiMAX network build out. Sprint Nextel's 802.16e 2005 mobile WiMAX network in Chicago and Baltimore/Washington, D.C. will also be one to watch.
Nick Lane, principal analyst at Informa, also expects mobile advertising to draw a lot of attention as the long touted concept finally seems to be gaining traction. Informa forecasts that the mobile advertising market will be worth $11.3bn by 2011.
"The sooner the mobile industry understands this emerging business model and its role within the advertising ecosystem, the sooner it can tap into that additional revenue stream," said Lane.
"Operators have to generate user profiling that can be highly-targeted for the brands, and truly personalised for the consumer. Until this happens, mobile advertising will remain largely experimental."
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http://www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/20017413338.html?1=1&mp_articleid=200174...
Palm, Inc.
Wireless
Itchy Palm
Brian Caulfield, 03.22.07, 6:00 AM ET
Palm is said to be working on a new line of products that could get it back in the fight. While a Palm spokesperson declined to comment on upcoming products, analysts said it will be a sleek device that will work with Sprint's planned high-speed WiMax-based wireless network, slated to go live late this year.
http://www.forbes.com/wireless/2007/03/21/palm-earnings-sale-tech-wireless-cx_bc_0322palm.html