Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

[Jim Mullens]

Who Makes What WiMAX equip and services

http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?site=unstrung&doc_id=%2076879&page_number=1


Who Makes What: WiMax Equipment & Services
By by The Staff / 08.11.05
Introduction

WiMax is one of the hottest wireless technologies around today. Starting later this year, WiMax systems are expected to deliver broadband access services to residential and enterprise customers. In the future, notebook PC and mobile users could also be supported.

This Who Makes What report seeks to identify the leading players in WiMax components, software, and network equipment. It will also highlight major service-provider WiMax trials and deployments taking place around the world. The report is intended to be updated continually as the market matures and network rollouts accelerate.

For some background on WiMax, including what it is, how it works, and why it is interesting, see our WiMax Guide.
Before networks can be deployed and advertised as 100 percent WiMax-compatible, vendors will have to submit equipment for conformance and interoperability testing against specific “Profiles” developed by the WiMAX Forum. This testing program will generate confidence in the underlying standards behind WiMax and is expected to be crucial to market adoption of the technology. For more on this see: WiMax Lab Opens Its Doors, WiMax: A Spec Divided, and Alvarion Waits on WiMax Testing.
This report breaks the WiMax market down into three categories: components, systems, and services. Here’s a hyperlinked summary:

• Page 2: WiMax Component & Subsystem Vendors
• Page 3: WiMax Systems Vendors
• Page 4: Carrier Trials

For more in-depth research, analysis, and expert opinion on WiMax, see the following paid research reports from Unstrung Insider and Heavy Reading, and these free-to-view Webinars from the Unstrung archive.

Paid Research Reports on WiMax
• Unstrung Insider: Mobile WiMax: Who Goes Where
• Unstrung Insider: WiMax: Going the Distance
• Heavy Reading: WiMax Reality Check
Webinar Archives on WiMax
• WiMax Deployment Models
• The Evolving Wireless Communications Infrastructure
• Using WiMax for Last Mile and Public Safety Applications
• WiMax Metropolitan Area Wireless Networking Technology
• WiMax Technology Enables Digital Movie Screening
— The Staff, Unstrung


By by The Staff / 08.11.05
Component & Subsystem Vendors

There are a number of startup and established semiconductor firms angling for a piece of WiMax business – although, at this stage, the market is not as bubbly, in terms of VC backing and M&A valuations, as the 802.11 chipset scene two or three years ago (see Insider: Startups Mobilize WiMax).

In the first phase, vendors are targeting the 802.16-2004 fixed WiMax market with devices intended for outdoor CPE devices and self-install desktop modems. Chipsets for notebook PCs represent the second phase of development and could be available as soon as next year.

Developers are also working on devices for the upcoming 802.16e “Mobile WiMax” standard, with some startups focusing exclusively on this opportunity. Production 802.16e chipsets are generally expected around the 2007–2008 timeframe.
Although most of the volume in the WiMax chipset market will be selling into the end-user device segment, there are also vendors focused on the base-station infrastructure, where greater processing power may be required and where power consumption is less of an issue.

Here’s an alphabetized list of WiMax silicon vendors:
• Altera Corp. (Nasdaq: ALTR - message board)
• Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI - message board)
• Aspex Semiconductor Ltd.
• Beceem Communications Inc.
• Cygnus Communications Inc.
• Fujitsu Ltd. (Tokyo: 6702 - message board; London: FUJ)
• Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC - message board)
• PicoChip Designs Ltd.
• Runcom Technologies Ltd.
• Sequans Communications
• TeleCIS Wireless Inc.
• Wavesat Wireless Inc.
• Xilinx Inc. (Nasdaq: XLNX - message board)
While most of the above-listed developers are working on 802.16 PHY and MAC components, or system-on-a-chip products, there are also a number of specialist suppliers of RF “front-end” silicon for WiMax devices. They include:

• Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN - message board)
• Atmel Corp. (Nasdaq: ATML - message board)
• SiGe Semiconductor Inc.
• RF Magic Inc.
There are also firms focused on providing WiMax software to chipset developers and equipment manufacturers. Examples include SiWave Corp. and Wi-LAN Inc. (Toronto: WIN - message board). And in the smart antenna space, vendors such as ArrayComm Inc. and Roke Manor Research Ltd. are also involved with WiMax.
Companies noticeable by their absence in this segment include Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM - message board), Freescale Semiconductor Inc. (NYSE: FSL - message board), Philips Semiconductors (NYSE: PHG - message board), Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM - message board), and STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE: STM - message board).


By by The Staff / 08.11.05
Equipment Vendors

WiMax equipment vendors come from two distinct camps: those historically involved with the fixed-wireless access business, and newcomers to the market.

Companies that have, or are developing, WiMax-compatible products for the fixed broadband access markets include:

• Airspan Networks Inc.
• Alvarion Ltd. (Nasdaq: ALVR - message board)
• Aperto Networks
• Cambridge Broadband Ltd.
• Navini Networks Inc.
• Proxim Corp. (Nasdaq: PROX - message board)
• Redline Communications Inc.
• Siemens AG (NYSE: SI - message board; Frankfurt: SIE)
• SR Telecom Inc. (Toronto: SRX - message board)
• Wi-LAN Inc. (Toronto: WIN - message board)
• ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063 - message board; Hong Kong: 0763)

Note that, although the above-listed vendors are currently focused on 802.16-2004 “Fixed WiMax”, many of them are also plotting a migration to the newer 802.16e spec, which is more suitable for portable and mobile subscriber stations.
Newcomers to the market are typically targeting mobility and the newer 802.16e spec right from the outset, and it is this that has attracted several of the mobile infrastructure market’s big guns to WiMax. Vendors that have announced initiatives include:

• Adaptix Inc.
• Alcatel (NYSE: ALA - message board; Paris: CGEP:PA)
• LG Electronics Inc. (London: LGLD - message board; Korea: 6657.KS)
• Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board)
• Navini Networks Inc.
• Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK - message board)
• Nortel Networks Ltd. (NYSE/Toronto: NT - message board)
• Posdata Co. Ltd.
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC - message board)

Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LU - message board) and Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERICY - message board) are both involved in the fixed-wireless WiMax market through reseller deals with Alvarion and Airspan, respectively, but have not announced specific plans for mobile 802.16e technology.


By by The Staff / 08.11.05
Carrier Trials

In July 2005 the WiMAX Forum commenced interoperability testing of fixed-wireless 802.16 products, which will lead to the first wave of official WiMax equipment due for launch later this year.
Despite the lack of availability of official WiMax kit, a number of carriers in both Europe and the U.S. have been eager to kick the tires of 802.16 technology. As a result, several Tier 1 incumbent telcos and many smaller players have announced plans to trial "pre-WiMax" kit. Such equipment – like future official WiMax products – utilizes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, which is what makes the technology suitable for pre-WiMax applications (see Intel's WiMax AntiClimax).
Here’s the lowdown on carrier activity in the 802.16 market to date:

Europe

The Old Continent’s incumbent players have been eager to jump on board the WiMax bandwagon, with BT Group plc (NYSE: BT - message board; London: BTA), Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT - message board), and France Telecom SA (NYSE: FTE - message board) all announcing trial plans.

• British Telecom is keeping a close eye on development of the WiMax standard, following plans to deploy a fixed-wireless service across Britain. The carrier is working with Alvarion Ltd. (Nasdaq: ALVR - message board) and is mulling an upgrade to certified WiMax equipment (see BT Maxes on Wireless).

• Earlier this year Deutsche Telekom announced plans to launch trial WiMax networks as part of a €250 million (US$302 million) investment in its national broadband network (see DT Preps WiMax Trials). At the end of June the carrier switched on a network in Bonn, using kit from Alvarion.

• In March Unstrung revealed that France Telecom is trialing 802.16 technology from Alvarion, Aperto Networks, and Redline Communications Inc.. All three trials have been launched in the 3.5GHz frequency band (see France Telecom Trials 802.16).

• France Telecom's mobile subsidiary Orange France (Paris: OGE - message board) has also got in on the action, trialing Alvarion kit during this year's Tour de France (see Intel, Orange Trial WiMax). The technology was used as backhaul from a France Telecom/Orange wireless LAN hotspot.

• On the startup side, French service provider Altitude Telecom plans to launch a consumer service in September this year, based on equipment from Alvarion and using the 3.5GHz band (see Altitude Telecom Maxes on Voice).

• Spanish service provider Iberbanda has launched one of Europe's largest pre-WiMax commercial networks, using equipment from Alvarion and Aperto in the 3.5GHz band (see Alvarion Expands Iberbanda and Aperto Deploys in Spain).

• Irish Broadband is eyeing a nationwide WiMax network launch this year on the back of an €18 million ($22 million) investment in the venture. Operating principally in the 5.7 and 3.5GHz bands, the carrier has tapped Alvarion and Navini Networks Inc. as equipment suppliers (see Irish Broadband Eyes WiMax).

• O2 Ireland has trialed pre-WiMax kit from Alvarion in a four-month deployment earlier this year (see O2 Ireland Tests WiMax). The network was targeted at households and small businesses in the area of Gleann Cholm Cille, Donegal.

• Meanwhile, Britain's Libera plc has opted for kit from Aperto Networks and is targeting a network launch in London (see Libera Liberates London).

• Also in the U.K., Telabria Ltd. has teamed with the University of Kent for wireless broadband trials and is deploying equipment from Redline (see Telabria Maxes in Kent and Telabria Deploys Redline).

• Austrian service provider WiMAX Telecom GmbH has earmarked €70 million ($84 million) on investment in a nationwide 802.16 network (see WiMAX Telecom to Invest $85M). Alvarion has been tagged as the equipment supplier, with service launch expected in September 2005. WiMAX Telecom has also announced plans for a network launch in Slovakia by year end (see WiMAX Telecom Gains License).

North America

North America has an even more diverse range of operators looking at implementing wireless LAN services. They broadly break down into three categories:

• Wireline carriers and cable/DSL operators that see WiMax as a way to break into the wireless market without taking the (expensive) cellular route or plan to use 802.16 as an extension to their existing services in areas that are hard to wire

• Cellular operators that intend to use Wimax for wireless
and, eventually, mobile broadband

• New operators and wireless service providers that see WiMax as a way to break the cost barriers in the broadband market
Here's how they break down:

• AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T - message board) AT&T Corp. is running a small-scale pre-WiMax test in Middleton, N.J., and plotting a much larger affair in Atlanta, in the fourth quarter of this year (see AT&T Plots WiMax Trial ). The operator says it will use multiple equipment suppliers but won't name names.

• BellSouth Corp. (NYSE: BLS - message board) has just launched a pre-WiMax service in Athens, Ga. It plans to expand the service to Florida later this year (see BellSouth Maxes in Georgia and BellSouth Extends Wireless B'band).

• Craig McCaw's Clearwire LLC venture has launched wireless broadband services in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Fla; Abilene, Midland, and Odessa, Texas; Duluth and St.Cloud, Minn; Eau Claire, Wisc; Eugene, Medford, and Roseburg, Ore; and Merced, Modesto, Stockton, and Visalia, Calif. The firm uses pre-WiMax equipment from its subsidiary NextNet Wireless Inc. (see McCaw Clears the Wires and Clearwire Buys Spectrum). Clearwire has also launched services across the pond in Belgium (see Clearwire Goes European). More European deployments in Denmark and Ireland are expected to follow (see Clearwire Expands in Europe).

• DSL provider Covad Communications Inc. (OTC: COVD - message board) is planning to launch broadband wireless services in the first quarter of 2006 (see Covad to Serve 'Pre-WiMax'). The firm is already running a trial of pre-WiMax equipment in the Bay Area. It has not said which suppliers it will use.

• Startup Mpower Communications has launched a "fixed broadband wireless" network in Las Vegas, using equipment from Alvarion (see Alvarion Powers Mpower).

• Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q - message board) is planning to test pre-Wimax equipment in Denver.

• Startup Speakeasy Inc. has launched broadband wireless services in Seattle, using gear from from Alvarion (see Speakeasy Maxes in Seattle).

• Spirit Corp. is planning pre-WiMax gear tests in 2005 and will move onto the official kit as it arrives in 2006. The operator has so far announced deals with Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC - message board) and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board), and it says it may announce more. Actual WiMax services aren't expected to start until 2007 (see Sprint Picks Moto for WiMax and Sprint Firms Up WiMax Plans).

• Startup TowerStream Corp. has launched pre-WiMax services in a number of markets, using kit from Aperto Networks and others. The firm, which caters to business customers, has markets in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, Rhode Island, and San Francisco. The firm recently announced that it will offer VOIP services with partner Vonage Holdings Corp. (see Vonage Goes WiMax).

• Verizon Avenue, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board), last year launched a trial broadband wireless network in Grundy, Va., using Alvarion's BreezeAccess gear (see Verizon Trials BWA). Although Verizon owns WCS spectrum, it chose to use unlicensed frequencies for the trial.
Asia/Pacific

There is a lot of interest in WiMax, particularly in South Korea, but interest is mainly focused on a home-grown mobile variant called WiBro.

• South Korean operator SK Telecom (Nasdaq: SKM - message board) recently announced that it plans to launch a WiBro service in Seoul in 2006 and across the rest of the country by 2009.

• Local rival KT Corp. has teamed with Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC - message board) and announced plans to launch a commercial service in 2006.