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11/06/09--08:15: WiMAX hits critical milestones in second quarter (chan 3119440)

New technologies are often shadowed by a lack of hard data. Nevertheless, we have collected some interesting statistics in our 4GCounts report, which contains an analysis of the key WiMAX and LTE operator trends for second quarter 2009. In the second quarter, WiMAX reached the milestone of 500 network deployments in more than 145 countries, according to the WiMAX Forum. There are a number of new commitments from suppliers and operators to build and trial WiMAX Release 2 based on the IEEE 802.16m standard.

At the close of second quarter 2009, Marvedis Group's report, 4GCounts, counted more than 3.96 million BWA/WiMAX subscribers--a 16 percent growth from first quarter 2009 and a 72 percent growth over second quarter 2008. With a monthly residential ARPU of $39.50 and business ARPU of $121.80, the worldwide subscriber base generated estimated quarterly revenues of $710.3 million. Residential subscribers (69 percent) continue to dominate the customer mix, while business subscribers represent 31 percent. North America represented the region with the highest residential customer base, closing out second quarter 2009 with more than 1.25 million subscribers, of which 86 percent were residential and 14 percent business.

On the one hand, concrete successful commercial deployments such as Clearwire's (U.S.), Scartel's (Russia) and Wateen Telecom's (Pakistan), have shown that WiMAX is able to provide a mobile broadband experience that no other technology had been able to provide. Mobile WiMAX has been considered by many as the first true 4G technology, giving customers access to global data, information, entertainment and communication anytime, anywhere, with low latency and high-speeds of up to 10 Mbps. On the other hand, many operators continue to struggle with the technology, facing problems of lack of capacity, technology instability, unavailability of devices, interoperability problems, lack of spectrum, and regulatory constraints.

The WiMAX industry has a new promise in the WiMAX 802.16m standard, which will be backwards-compatible with 802.16e-2005 and will provide speeds of up to 120 Mbps downlink and 60 Mbps uplink, according to the IEEE's IMT-Advanced proposal documents.

The list of mobile operators who have made official announcements regarding plans to launch an LTE network continues to grow. Through our ongoing discussions and interviews, as of the end of September 2009 we confirmed directly with 20 mobile operators their commitment to deploy LTE. In total, alongside the top 200 WiMAX operators, 4GCounts is now covering 39 operators committed to deploying LTE (who have either confirmed this directly with us, or made official announcements to that effect). LTE is gaining momentum and will be the technology selected by most mobile operators worldwide moving forward, but we expect major delays to the availability of LTE devices considering the work still required on the silicon side.

Data-only devices to support LTE networks will arrive in 2010, including data cards and USB devices. Mobile Internet devices, notebooks with embedded LTE and, possibly, data-only handsets will follow in 2011. Voice-centric LTE handsets are expected by 2012, but low coverage by LTE will require handovers with 2G and 3G networks. Causes for delays in LTE deployment are discussed in the report.

While LTE activity is intensifying around the world, mobile operators are eager to continue developing and profiting from their 3G WCDMA and HSPA/HSPA+ networks. HSPA+ is currently positioned as the leading mobile broadband technology in anticipation of LTE. According to the Global Mobile Supplier Association (GSA), there are 283 commercial HSPA operators in 119 countries/territories. Some of the LTE operators tracked in 4GCounts have announced their intention to continue deploying HSPA(+) for the time being, and to move to LTE when the technology is more mature. LTE will not replace HSPA networks; on the contrary, many operators are expected to invest in both HSPA+ and LTE, while deploying each in different frequency bands.

Here's a summary of other interesting metrics:

Clearwire USA continues to be the top BWA/WIMAX operator in terms of subscriber numbers. Clearwire has stopped marketing spending to concentrate on its network buildout, but still anticipates that in the second half of 2009 it will have the largest subscriber growth.
Second quarter 2009 recorded WiMAX ARPU was $39.5 and $121.80 for residential and business segments respectively, compared to $36.70 and $111.74 for the same segments in first quarter 2009.
Out of all BWA/WiMAX CPEs deployed as of second quarter 2009, 4GCounts showed 25 percent were 802.16-2004, 23 percent were 802.16e-2005, and 52 percent were vendor proprietary.
Mobile traffic is experiencing extraordinary growth worldwide. Global mobile data traffic in second quarter 2009 had a monthly increase of 30 percent with respect to the previous quarter.
HTTP browsing is the most popular application on broadband mobile networks both globally and in each individual region, and it is responsible for 32 percent of global mobile bandwidth.
45 new devices obtained WiMAX Forum certification from June to September 2009, including 18 notebooks, 4 cards, 12 USB dongles, and 3 chipsets, among other devices.
Of the top 39 mobile operators committed to LTE tracked by 4GCounts as of second quarter 2009, 37 percent are planning a commercial rollout in 2010, 29 percent in 2011, 25 percent in 2012, and 9 percent have yet to be confirmed.

Adlane Fellah is CEO and founder of Maravedis Inc. a market research and analysis firm that specializes in broadband wireless and WiMAX. Fellah has authored various reports on WiMAX, Broadband Wireless and Voice over IP (VoIP). He is a member of the Program Advisory Board for the WiMAX World conference and is an active member of the World Communications Association International and the European Broadband Wireless Association.

12/02/09--19:49: WiMAX Forum urges India to proceed with WiMAX spectrum allocations (chan 3119440)

India's long-awaited auction of 3G spectrum may be delayed once again, and the WiMAX Forum is putting on the heat, saying that every six months of delay in the process equates to $1 billion in lost revenues for the country.

The auction has been delayed numerous times with the latest official date set for January 2010, which may be delayed again. The WiMAX Forum, however, is calling on the government to separately release spectrum specifically for WiMAX deployments in the 2.3/2.5 GHz band as a way to tap into broadband growth and economic development in the near term.

"WiMAX auctions should be done well ahead by de-linking the auction from the 3G auction process as the country needs broadband growth and wireless high speed Internet access now for the economic development of the Indian society," Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, was quoted in telecoms.com. "India needs immediate and affordable broadband access to meet the aspirations and expectations of the younger generation who constitute 56 percent of the population."

There are more than 500 million mobile-phone subscribers in India, yet only some 7.4 million have access to broadband. The WiMAX Forum argues that WiMAX is the only viable option that will enable fast rollout of broadband services and meet the Indian government's stated goal of supporting 100 million broadband users by 2014.

For more:
- see this telecoms.com article

01/03/10--20:12: 2010 Prediction No. 1: WiMAX takes off in the U.S. (chan 3119440)

WiMAX will fly thanks to broadband stimulus plays and Clearwire. Also, the illusive WiMAX handset will come in late 2010.

Barring some regional operators such as Towerstream, mobile WiMAX so far has failed to take off in a big way in the U.S. Clearwire didn't make much of a dent in 2009 with its handful of major markets, but with new funding in hand, it will accelerate its rollout in 2010 to reach 120 million people. Moreover, Clearwire's wholesale partners--Sprint Nextel, Comcast and Time Warner Cable--are expected to make a bigger WiMAX push. Last-mile broadband stimulus projects should boost the proliferation of WiMAX too. According to the WiMAX Forum, 25 percent of all last-mile stimulus applications in the first round proposed to use WiMAX.

However, one major thing folks are harping about in terms of WiMAX's mainstream appeal is the lack of mobile devices. Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow recently hinted that a WiMAX handset wouldn't hit the market until late 2010, which likely will hurt the technology's momentum in the short term.

02/24/10--09:40: India's 3G auction set for April 9, 4G auction to follow (chan 3119440)

The on-and-off process surrounding India's long-delayed auction of 3G spectrum looks to be on again. The government announced the auction will begin on April 9.

Two days after the 3G auction is completed, India's regulators plan to auction more bandwidth for WiMAX and LTE services.

Applications from bidders will be accepted until March 19, a government notice indicated. The auction has been delayed numerous times over disagreements pertaining to the base price, number of licenses sold and bandwidth availability. Telecommunications Minister A. Raja said "all pending issues have been resolved."

Analysts say, however, there still is a lack of information about the number of licenses that would be available. Previously, Indian regulators had indicated four 3G licenses and three broadband wireless licenses would be available in 20 of the country's 22 telecom zones.

The government has fixed a base price of $760 million for all-India spectrum. However bids are likely to come in much higher than that because of the significant growth potential in the world's fastest growing mobile market.

The WiMAX Forum has been urging India to release spectrum for WiMAX services. Late last year it called on the government to separately release spectrum specifically for WiMAX deployments in the 2.3/2.5 GHz band as a way to tap into broadband growth and economic development in the near term. The WiMAX Forum has argued that WiMAX is the only viable option that will enable fast rollout of broadband services and meet the Indian government's stated goal of supporting 100 million broadband users by 2014.

India's top mobile operator Bharti Airtel has already said it plans to bid for 3G spectrum along with Reliance Communications and other operators such as Vodafone Essar. Analysts believe AT&T could participate in the auction along with Australia's Telstra. The entities would have to partner with an Indian firm to get around foreign ownership restrictions.

For more:
- see this AFP article
- take a look at this Reuters article

04/11/10--22:24: WiMAX Forum aims to double WiMAX's data speed and user performance by end of year (chan 3119440)

In what is likely a move to stave off the growing threat of TD-LTE, the WiMAX Forum said it has launched a global initiative to accelerate advanced WiMAX features to the current release by more than 50 percent while remaining compliant with the 802.16e standard. That means the technology will have the potential to double peak data rates and increase average and cell edge end user performance by 50 percent, with certified products coming to market in late 2010, the forum said.

The forum also reassured that this initiative won't delay the development of WiMAX Release 2, otherwise known as the 802.16m standard. It is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, with device certification coming in late 2011.

The WiMAX Forum cited unprecedented growth in mobile broadband services as a reason for the fast-tracking of the enhanced features. Clearwire recently reported that mobile users average more than 7 GB of usage per month. In Russia, mobile WiMAX operator Yota sees more than 1 GB per month data traffic from subscribers using their HTC smartphone. For laptops, this figure is 13 GB per month.

"WiMAX operators are providing an unprecedented amount of data, with some networks delivering over 10 gigabytes per month to the average user," the forum said in a release. "Even without dramatic growth in average customer demand, successful expansion of the customer base can threaten network overload. The WiMAX Forum has recognized operator needs for more advanced technologies to future-proof their networks in the face of these inexorable trends."

The forum also made a plug for WiMAX in India, where the auction of mobile broadband licenses are expected to commence shortly. Qualcomm is looking to win a license and push TD-LTE instead of WiMAX, while Ericsson has been trying to build the case for LTE as well. It was thought that WiMAX would be a shoo-in in India but consistent delays of the auctions over a span of years seems to have bolstered the case for LTE there.

"There is no country where this demand is as pronounced as it is in India, where there is less than three percent broadband penetration. WiMAX can address this demand as well as the growing needs around the globe, plus we're committed to taking performance to the next level in an unmatched time frame," said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum.

Enhancements under development include support for additional MIMO antennae on the base stations (4 transmit antennae instead of 2), higher order (64 QAM) modulation on the uplink, downlink beamforming and improved fractional frequency reuse (FFR) to increase performance in reuse 1 deployments while ensuring multi-vendor interoperability.

For more:
- check out this release

04/14/10--23:30: Beceem, M-Skylink proffer reference design for USB WiMAX modems (chan 3119440)

WiMAX chip provider Beceem and software developer M-Skylink introduced a "retail ready" reference design platform the companies said will enable vendors to quickly develop USB-based WiMAX modems.

The platform offers a complete, turnkey design based on Beceem's BCSM350 4G-WiMAX chip with a connection manager, device authentication and management software package provided by M-Skylink. The reference platform will support the WiMAX Forum's profile 1.0 specification, while M-Skylink's connection manager is based on common API specifications to enable open development and interoperability.

"The first wave of 4G-WiMAX devices was purchased by service providers who sold them to their subscribers, but the open channel devices enabled by the Beceem and M-Skylink's 'retail-ready' platform should drive further expansion of the 4G-WiMAX device ecosystem by providing an easy-to-productize platform that allows device innovation at low cost," said Lars Johnsson, vice president of marketing and business development for Beceem in a telecoms.com article.

For more:
- read this telecoms.com article

06/05/10--22:28: WiMAX Forum: As operators bet on LTE, WiMAX still has its place (chan 3119440)

WiMAX Forum Chairman Ron Resnick acknowledged that WiMAX technology will likely be a minority technology down the line, but the technology still has its place.

"The biggest mobile operators around the world are betting on LTE," Resnick told IDC News Service. "Then you have a few big mobile operators who are just saying, 'Heck, I can do something now.'" He said WiMAX is appealing in some developing countries such as India and Indonesia where operators want to deploy less expensive technology for their initial networks.

Recently, WiMAX technology has taken somewhat of a hit thanks to news from Russian operator Yota that it would no longer roll out WiMAX but instead deploy LTE in its remaining markets. Clearwire in recent months has also talked of deploying LTE alongside its WiMAX network.

Since those operators would be operating two networks, users would need dual-mode devices to take advantage of the full coverage area. Resnick said the forum may participate in dual-mode certification down the line.

"I think we should be open to looking at it," he said.

Meanwhile, the forum has faced membership attrition of 100 companies and staff downsizing. The forum closed its Portland, Ore., office and eliminated six to eight contract positions. It is increasing its reliance on volunteers from member companies and recently opened a new office in San Diego where it hired a more experienced project manager, according to Resnick. The Forum is now a virtual organization with a staff of about 20 spread around the country.

About 300 members are now part of the forum, and attrition has occurred because some companies joined the forum to evaluate WiMAX and decide whether they wanted to play in the market. But Resnick emphasized that while some smaller companies have pulled out of the forum, the largest WiMAX vendors are staying.

"The folks who made it in the industry, they are all still there," Resnick said. Board members include Intel, Samsung, Nokia, Huawei, Sprint Nextel and Korea Telecom. Even those not working with WiMAX, such as Cisco Systems and Ericsson, are still part of the forum, he said.

For more:
- see this IDC News Service article

06/13/10--23:04: WiMAX Forum announces 2.3 GHz certification (chan 3119440)

The WiMAX Forum announced the first mobile WiMAX products to receive certification for the MIMO 2.3 GHz profile. The forum accepted two base stations from Samsung and Huawei. Completing the 2.3 GHz certification testing profiles allows WiMAX Forum labs to accept 2.3, 2.5 and 3.5 GHz products and immediately begin the certification process. Article

06/20/10--20:18: Femto Forum, WiMAX Forum publish WiMAX femtocell standard (chan 3119440)

The Femto Forum and the WiMAX Forum announced they have published the first standard to enable WiMAX femtocells.

That means vendors will be able to begin building compatible equipment based on the 802.16e standard and profiles immediately. The WiMAX Forum is expected to begin certification of the devices in early 2011.

As data continues to grow on WiMAX networks (Clearwire announced that its residential customers use on average 7 GB a month), femtocells promise to enhance coverage and capacity inside buildings and enable large data loads to be offloaded onto these in-building base stations and use the fixed broadband connection as backhaul.

The specs include a security framework and enables WiMAX networks to support a large number of access points via standard commercial IPSec-based gateways. The devices also would include self organization network (SON) capabilities to enable automatic configuration, while future revisions will update SON capabilities to include automatic interference management among femtocells and macro base stations.

For more:
- see this telecoms.com article

07/12/10--00:31: Roke Manor develops wide area coverage 3G femtocell capability (chan 3119440)

Roke Manor Research claims to have developed the world's first 3G wide area coverage femtocell capability.

The reference design, which uses picoChip's technology as the development platform, has about a 25-mile range, which represents more than 40,000 times the area covered by traditional femtocells. The reference design also supports fully mobility at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.

Such a solution could be used to serve rural areas or enhance coverage. The femtocell would support up to 12 simultaneous users, with Release 5 HSPA and a software upgrade to Release 6. Roke also developed custom firmware enhancements to picoChip's PC8208 femtocell solution.

"Previously the best range femtocell technology could deliver was two kilometers (less than a mile), useful for wireless services on a campus, but uneconomic for network operators that would have to deploy large numbers in order to fill signal black holes in the countryside," said Prasid Shah, business sector manager with Roke. "Roke's concept means that a reliable 3G mobile service in some of the most remote areas in the world is now a cost effective reality for network operators, which could be a solution to help address the 'digital divide.' Aternatively, the 'plug and play' nature of a femtocell allows carriers to quickly deploy a robust network, even if there is little infrastructure in place. This can be used by emergency services or aid workers to offer complete voice and data service even after an earthquake or natural disaster has destroyed conventional cellular facilities."

For more:
- check out this release

08/22/10--14:16: WiMAX backers tout advantages in India (chan 3119440)

The WiMAX Forum and its member operators and vendors descended on India last week touting the technology's economies of scale advantage during the WiMAX India 2010 conference as the winners of India's recent $8.56 billion wireless broadband auction mull their technology options--WiMAX or TD-LTE.

The Indian market is front and center on the agenda of the WiMAX Forum these days. Certainly, the long-term success of the technology will be heavily influenced by the decisions of newly licensed wireless broadband operators there as India represents a market that will easily ramp up several million wireless broadband subscribers within a matter of a few years. If WiMAX supported some 40 million subscribers in that country, the technology is assured a long life. TD-LTE backers such as Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM)--which won licenses with plans to deploy TD-LTE in India--have been urging operators to deploy TD-LTE. The question is whether operators can afford to wait for TD-LTE.

WiMAX Forum President and Chairman Ron Resnick urged licensees to adopt a flexible network architecture, presumably meaning that operators have the option of deploying WiMAX today and migrating to TD-LTE when the technology is more mature. He stressed that 149 countries including India are now offering commercial WiMAX services including mobile WiMAX.

The forum received a boost from India's Department of Telecom Secretary and Telecom Commission Chairman P.J. Thomas: "The mobile revolution is now rolling and WiMax will accelerate it," he said. "With prices of both equipment and devices falling day by day, the access would become affordable to the rural people."

Dr. P.S. Tang, managing director of Malaysia's WiMAX operators Packet One, indicated that a WiMAX VoIP phone that costs $50 today would soon cost $35. Meanwhile, Puneet Garg, vice president, technical, with Indian WiMAX operator Bharti Airtel, indicated that new technology developments enable a single base station to connect several villages, resulting in lower capital costs.

Motorola's (NYSE:MOT) head of home and networks mobility Subhendu Mohanty indicated the prices of devices and equipment are falling, which will enable operators to offer low-cost connectivity. Samsung's Dr. Hung Song, vice president of Samsung, showed off several small WiMAX modems capable of transforming laptops, cell phones and other electronics into WiMAX-enabled devices.

For more:
- see this LTE World post

09/19/10--13:29: Samsung makes two WiMAX deals in Eastern Europe (chan 3119440)

While all of the attention is focused on India these days when it comes to WiMAX, Samsung made two deals to supply mobile WiMAX equipment for national networks in Eastern Europe.

Intellecom LLC in the Ukraine is deploying Samsung's U-RAS Smart CP base stations in the country's four major cities by June 2011. The operator plans to deploy WiMAX throughout the country by 2013. Samsung, like nearly all WiMAX vendors now, is offering an air interface agnostic base station, meaning operators down the line can choose to deploy WiMAX 2, 802.16m, or TD-LTE.

Intellecom currently offers fixed wireless broadband in 24 cities. Deploying mobile WiMAX will pit the company against rival WiMAX operator Ukraine High Technologies and the country's 3G operators.

Max Telecom in Bulgaria has also signed on with Samsung for the U-RAS smart base station. The operator has plans to offer nationwide coverage by 2012. The operator competes with Bulgarian WiMAX operators TransTelecom and Nexcom Bulgaria LLC.

For more:
- see this Light Reading Mobile article

10/27/10--12:05: Broadcom looks for swift entry into femtocell market with Percello buy (chan 3119440)

On the heals of acquiring WiMAX chip maker Beceem Communications, Broadcom has made another silicon acquisition, paying $86 million in cash for privately held Percello, which makes system-on-a-chip femtocell solutions.

Rather than building solutions from scratch, Broadcom aims to make strategic acquisitions to get solutions out into the market quicker and at the time when demand is beginning to peak. Earlier this month Broadcom announced it had signed a $316-million deal to acquire privately held Beceem to enable it to get a leg up in the next-generation chip market that consists of WiMAX and LTE. The same is true in the femtocell market with the acquisition of Percello.

Moreover, the next-generation market is expected to be one where 4G and femtocells work together as operators aim to deploy the mini base stations in areas where network traffic will be highest. And of course femtocells are seen as a way to offload heavy 3G traffic today.

For more:
- see this release

12/08/10--18:05: Sprint inks WiMAX roaming agreements with Digicel, Global Mobile (chan 3119440)

Sprint (NYSE:S) announced international WiMAX roaming deals with Digicel in Jamaica and Global Mobile in Taiwan.

Sprint, which offers WiMAX service via a wholesale agreement with Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR), said certain devices that operate with the Sprint SmartView Connection Manager will be able to automatically detect the Digicel and Global Mobile networks, giving subscribers the option to connect and roam on these networks with a 24-hour day pass. Pricing and launch details of the agreements have yet to be determined.

Sprint said the SmartView Connection manager enables users to create a high-speed Internet connection for their computer anywhere in the Sprint 3G or WiMAX footprint or on the compatible international networks with mobile broadband USB modems. A Sprint spokesman said smartphones do not yet have SmartView Connection functionality so roaming is limited to USB modems at this point.

Clearwire introduced WiMAX roaming services with UQ Communications in Japan in September. Clearwire and UQ customers using Intel WiMAX-embedded netbooks and notebooks can sign up for a day pass and use unlimited data while traveling through the covered markets in Japan and the U.S.

Sprint offers WiMAX service in 68 markets and plans to introduce service in several new major markets, including San Francisco and Denver, by the end of the year.

For more:
- see this release

12/15/10--23:10: Will 2011 be the breakout year for femtocells? (chan 3119440)

Could 2011 be the breakout year for the femtocell market? Informa Telecoms & Media's new quarterly status report on this market is predicting renewed growth for femtocells next year now that major semiconductor Broadcom has entered the market and six new operators in the last quarter alone have committed to deploying the small base stations.

Within the last three months, Broadcom purchased Israeli semiconductor start-up Percello, representing the first major acquisition in the femtocell industry, said Informa. In addition, Vodafone Australia, three Taiwanese operators (Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone), Turkish operator Avea and UAE operator Du have all committed to femtocell deployments in 2011. And Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and MoldTelecom, the Moldovan incumbent, both began actively offering 3G femtocell services in the past quarter.

"All the signs indicate femtocells are set to have a strong 2011 as both the operator and vendor communities continue to get behind the technology," said Dimitris Mavrakis, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.

Informa forecasts the number of femtocell access points globally to reach 49 million by 2014, with 114 million mobile subscribers accessing mobile networks via femtocells that year.

For more:
- see this telecoms.com article

12/17/10--05:00: Year in Review 2010: WiMAX struggles in commercial operator market, thrives in vertical markets (chan 3119440)

It was a tough year for the WiMAX camp as some major operator backers have shown waning interest in the technology, and LTE gained momentum. This past summer, WiMAX Forum Chairman Ron Resnick acknowledged WiMAX technology will likely be a minority technology down the line, but that the technology still has its place.

During 2010, Russian operators Yota announced it would no longer roll out WiMAX but instead deploy LTE in its remaining markets, while Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) embarked on testing LTE, and most likely it will deploy LTE alongside its WiMAX network.

Meanwhile, Clearwire and wholesale partner/investor Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), saw their lead in the 4G market erode with Verizon Wireless' (NYSE:VZ) introduction of LTE service in 38 markets earlier this month. Clearwire struggled with financing until it more recently made a $1.33 billion debt offering and sold exchangeable notes. Tensions among Clearwire's investors increased over the strategic direction of the WiMAX operator. Major markets like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have only recently garnered access to Clear's WiMAX service despite a head start that began in 2008.

The WiMAX Forum also had its hopes set on India, where the government earlier this year auctioned off spectrum in the TDD band for wireless broadband services. WiMAX was supposed to be a shoo-in as the TDD version of LTE was seen as a far off prospect. However, Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) successfully bid for spectrum and indicated plans to deploy TD-LTE. In addition, lone nationwide license holder Reliance Industries indicated plans to build out a network based on TD-LTE--despite the fact that TD-LTE networks won't be ready until the second half of 2011. Meanwhile, Qualcomm and Ericsson demonstrated a TD-LTE network in the region and have been lobbying license winners heavily to wait for TD-LTE.

Still, WiMAX is far from having to be put on life support. Heavy Reading senior consultant Berge Ayvazian recently asserted that a movement toward TD-LTE doesn't spell the end of WiMAX in India, as a deployment could vary by service area and operator. "For example, Reliance may select a few rural circles for WiMAX deployments to deliver low-cost broadband, taking advantage of the current cost and maturity advantages of the WiMAX base stations and devices. But in major cities (the operators) will deploy LTE TDD, even if it delays service rollouts," he said.

Moreover, vendors such as Alvarion, Motorola (slated to be part of Nokia Siemens Networks), and Samsung have introduced base stations capable of upgrading to TD-LTE if a WiMAX operator so wishes. The move has opened the door for WiMAX deployments as operators now have 4G-deployment flexibility. For instance, Alvarion signed a $75-million deal with Canada's rural broadband provider Barrett Xplore to deploy a WiMAX network across the country, and the deal includes the option of migrating to TD-LTE in the future.

The U.S. government's broadband stimulus award program is also bringing WiMAX to rural areas, but it didn't turn out to be the coup for WiMAX that backers had hoped as the agencies in charge of distributing the funds focused heavily on middle-mile fiber projects.

While WiMAX struggles in the commercial operator community, it is thriving in vertical markets. WiMAX is beginning to ramp up as a key access technology for smart-grid initiatives. WiMAX vendor Airspan scored an exclusive deal with LightSquared to offer utilities--which are keen on gaining spectrum to build their own smart-grid networks--a combination of WiMAX equipment and spectrum in the 1.4 GHz band. GE, one of the top smart-meter makers in the U.S., is banking on WiMAX to power the smart grid. In March, GE announced a pilot program with Consumers Energy Michigan to use WiMAX-enabled smart meters. GE called it the first-ever U.S. smart-grid pilot program using WiMAX.

ABI Research forecasts that about 40,000 4G (M2M) cellular modules will be shipped in 2010--and all of them will be WiMAX-based. Digital signage and video, telematics, industrial personal digital assistants and surveillance networks are examples of M2M applications that require the bandwidth WiMAX provides.

What is advantageous in the U.S. market is the availability of the 3.65 GHz semi-licensed band that nearly anyone can put dibs on. WiMAX is already being deployed in that spectrum for smart grid trials and municipal WiMAX networks with video surveillance as the driver. Potential network operators could also drive the technology's adoption in the 4.9 GHz band, which is reserved for public safety, or even the unlicensed 5 GHz band.

04/07/11--00:07: Root Metrics offers Android apps detailing wireless coverage; Saudi Arabia's Mobily to launch LTE in 3Q (chan 3119440)

> Root Metrics will begin offering an Android app that allows users to compare the coverage of the market's different mobile operators while at the same time contributing to Root's network measurement service. Root is a network performance measurement company and shares metrics with consumers and sells more detailed reports to operators. Article

> The WiMAX Forum has selected SIRIM QAS International to manage a WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Laboratory (WFDCL) in Malaysia. The Malaysia lab complements the WiMAX Forum's current network of six to handle the continued certification demand. Article

> Saudi Arabia's Mobily plans to launch its LTE services by the third quarter of 2011. Article

> President Obama's plan to make $27.8 billion over the next decade from wireless spectrum auctions is facing concerns that AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA will take the pressure off unleashing more spectrum via auctions. Article

And Finally... A Georgia woman's decision to clean out her purse paid off in a big way when she found an old lottery ticket worth $189,302. Article

05/25/11--13:09: WiMAX Forum's Resnick: 'Stay tuned' to dual-mode WiMAX/LTE future (chan 3119440)

Resnick

with Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum

It's safe to say that the momentum surrounding LTE technology has overshadowed WiMAX. Once the hottest technology in the industry, WiMAX has now been relegated to smaller operators and vertical markets. Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, has ridden WiMAX's wild ride since becoming head of the forum in 2004. His biggest challenge this year is getting the word out that WiMAX is alive and well. Resnick sat down with FierceBroadbandWireless to discuss the future.

FierceBroadbandWireless: How would you describe the state of WiMAX technology?

Resnick: There is definitely a place for this whole notion of co-existence between two technologies (WiMAX and LTE) that are almost the same in terms of performance. Scale-wise, all of the big operators are betting on LTE. We have KT, Sprint and others such as KDDI and UQ, but WiMAX is not moving in the mass direction, so therefore the vendors have to cater to these folks. Vendors like Samsung and ZTE aren't blasting out sales figures for WiMAX, and that makes it tougher on us. I ask them whether they are still doing any business in WiMAX, and they are doing a lot of business in WiMAX ... It's worth noting that Ericsson is still a major player and still in the WiMAX Forum as a principal member.

There are over 30 networks that are being built out, and a lot of them are small. Those guys don't care if they do a lot of publicity. We need to try to take advantage of that and establish more traction in that area so it doesn't hurt the market. But with over 30 networks being built out, what does that tell us? It tells us that internally the vendors don't want to go ahead and promote a business they already have. It's understood in the market that no one is asking whether WiMAX works anymore. They (operators) get it that WiMAX is more affordable than LTE.

The question they have is what is going to happen two to three years from now? Vendors are overcoming this on a one-on-one selling situation. What they are always telling them is if you buy from us now, we can bring you to LTE later. Operators like Global Mobile and Packet One, you can imagine they are getting tremendous pressure from investors to show a long-term plan. But there is no backward compatibility with devices. If you have millions of devices that won't work on the new LTE system you have to figure out a co-existence story for working with both LTE and WiMAX.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Are there certain vertical segments where you see growth taking off?

Resnick: There are two other markets we are involved in that could be interesting in the long term. The World Radio Congress designated the 5.3 GHz band for airport communications because airports need something better for outdoors. It's strictly for terrestrial, on-the-ground communications. So what is really interesting is the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency looked at everything and both are committed to WiMAX technology. If you look in the U.S., there are over 2,000 airports and that means sales of tens of thousands of base stations sold and CPEs to communicate. It's the only technology they are betting on. They wouldn't pick a technology that goes away.

Another one that we think goes well with WiMAX is the M2M business, specifically the smart grid. The utility industry and telecom industry aren't best friends. They have different interests, and surely the utility doesn't want to see their world owned and managed. We have a smart-grid working group, and it is doing well. We have lots of interest from companies all over the world. We see that as another big vertical that is very different, and it is not dominated by standards bodies, but utility companies.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Do you see the WiMAX Forum playing a role as WiMAX operators announce intentions to move to LTE, perhaps something in dual-mode devices?

Resnick: The WiMAX Forum right now is looking at what the strategy is going forward. What we need to do is think about your question. Our view of the world is that there is a strong need to support WiMAX technology, and we and have to do something that ensures this co-existence story. We have to work with the ETSI (standards body) in the future and others to make sure there are not interference problems. What happens for the future direction is a whole other story. Release 2 of WiMAX and LTE Advanced are basically the same ... But I don't know the answer. We have a lot of expertise in certification. If the whole world is moving to LTE, we have to decide whether we stay in our niche, which are big verticals and smaller and rural operators. Is that good enough to focus? Stay tuned.

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are your membership numbers like these days?

Resnick: We have 220 members, so the membership almost split in half. We were at 500 at the peak, and a chunk of those got out of the business. A chunk is split and doing LTE. Vendor resources got split in half once LTE activity heated up. A lot of the work in (WiMAX) specs has matured. We always lose members and then they grow again. We're averaging about five new members a month. We hope to hit 275 new members this year.

06/15/11--11:07: Transitioning from WiMAX to LTE: How one Malaysian operator is making it work (chan 3119440)

More than 500 operators around the globe have deployed WiMAX.

Looking at the WiMAX market today, it's clear that the battle between LTE and WiMAX is over: LTE has emerged as the next-generation network technology winner in the mobile operator community. And the majority of current WiMAX operators--which now number about 583 in 150 countries--have carved out their niche by offering DSL replacement services in their respective markets. However, these WiMAX operators need decide if WiMAX will be suitable for them down the road.

With the exception of big operators such as Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) in the United States and UQ Communications in Japan, most WiMAX operators operate fixed or nomadic networks. That is reflected by the types of WiMAX devices available; of the 400 WiMAX-enabled devices available on the market, few are handsets and the rest are CPUs, M2M modules, USB modems, embedded laptops and a handful of tablets.

"What is happening is that you have WiMAX becoming solutions for backhaul, business connections and rural markets," said Mo Shakouri, corporate vice president of innovation and marketing at WiMAX equipment vendor Alvarion, in an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless. "At that level you have not seen as many big deployments of WiMAX but small ones with continuous growth."

Ron Resnick, long-time president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, also concedes that WiMAX is playing second fiddle to LTE. However, he said in an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless that more than 30 WiMAX networks are currently being built around the world, many of which are small networks.

WiMAX deployments by region

Source: WiMAX Forum

Resnick's figure dovetails with a new report from market research firm Infonetics Research, which found the WiMAX equipment market grew 49 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2011. Part of that growth is attributable to the expansion of existing networks and another part has to do with the technology's acceptance in the utility and smart-grid segment, the firm said.

While WiMAX technology has now reached maturity, it's clear that LTE technology will offer greater economies of scale down the road for WiMAX operators. The sheer number of vendors and operators embracing LTE is propelling a growing number of WiMAX carriers to make the switch to LTE--Russian carrier Yota is currently switching from WiMAX to LTE, and Clearwire executives have said they expect to make the jump sometime in the future.

Thus, the question for many WiMAX carriers now becomes when and how to make the switch to LTE.

Packet One Networks goes from WiMAX to TD-LTE

Packet One Networks supports a range of WiMAX devices.

Malaysia's Packet One Networks Sdn Bhd may be a model for how WiMAX operators might make the transition to LTE. The operator plans to launch a pilot commercial TD-LTE network by year end and introduce full TD-LTE commercial service to its WiMAX network when TD-LTE devices reach maturity, likely in the second half of 2012, said Packet One CEO Michael Lai in an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless. P1 is banking on mobile giant China Mobile and operators in India to drive the TD-LTE ecosystem, and it also hopes to capitalize on the growth of Voice over LTE (VoLTE).

The interesting piece of P1's plan, however, is its plan to use WiMAX to continue its DSL alternative play and TD-LTE to offer a mobile broadband service. That means P1 doesn't have to replace any WiMAX devices but just add mobile TD-LTE devices. The operator serves about 300,000 fixed WiMAX subscribers and covers 45 percent of Malaysia's population, and has been installing base stations capable of moving to TD-LTE via a software upgrade.

"The ecosystem for WiMAX is still limited. You pretty much have HTC and Samsung for smartphones," Lai said. "We believe by the second half of next year, the small-screen handset with be much more mature with a price point that is affordable for emerging economies like Malaysia."

Already, P1's current vendor, China's ZTE, has successfully demonstrated on P1's network the ability for WiMAX and TD-LTE to co-exist. During the demonstration, ZTE said it used the same WiMAX system to upgrade it to a TD-LTE system in less than an hour, without replacing any hardware. During this process, two terminals shared 20 MHz of bandwidth, with peak TD-LTE speeds reaching 130 Mbps.

To operate both networks, P1 plans to continue operating WiMAX in its 30 megahertz of spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band and add TD-LTE in the 20 megahertz it holds in the 2.6 GHz band. Eventually, the entire network will be based on TD-LTE, and the operator will continue to offer both fixed and mobile broadband services, Lai said.

P1's major shareholders, SK Telecom and Green Packet Berhad, last month invested another $66.8 million to accelerate its network plans.

It's likely that many WiMAX-to-LTE network transitions could play out this way by using disparate spectrum holdings. "Operators can use multiple technology--2.3 GHz with WiMAX and 2.5 for LTE, for example," said Alvarion's Shakouri. "There's no reason these different types of networks can't be designed. At this moment, people are deploying WiMAX because the ecosystem exists."

This will be especially true for those operators that hold spectrum bands that may never support TD-LTE. The 3.5 GHz band is likely to be one of those spectrum bands, Shakouri said. In fact, the vast majority of WiMAX deployments to date have occurred in the 3.5 GHz band.

WiMAX deployments by frequency

2.3 GHz Deployments***	48
2.5 GHz Deployments***	112
3.3 GHz Deployments***	10
3.5 GHz Deployments***	308
5+ GHz Deployments***	21

Source: WiMAX Forum
***Note: In above table total deployment by Frequency may not add up to total deployments tracked. The missing deployments' statuses are unknown, and will be confirmed and updated.

On the device side, WiMAX operators moving to LTE have a number of options.

"WiMAX operators need to ensure service continuity to avoid churn. They also need to make sure that subscribers' terminal devices (either desktop modems, dongles or phones) support the right interfaces-WiMAX today, WiMAX and LTE during the transition period, and eventually LTE only. This is particularly important for mobile devices which connect to the network at multiple locations, where different interfaces are available," wrote Monica Paolini, the founder and president of Senza Fili Consulting and a FierceBroadbandWireless contributor. "The alternative is to use multimode devices that support both WiMAX and LTE, which can be introduced in the market organically ahead of the LTE rollout. When LTE becomes available, the new devices see the new network and connect to it, without requiring a hard swap. From a subscriber-and a subscriber support-perspective, multimode devices can simplify the transition process."

02/08/12--13:52: Will WiMAX 2 revitalize the WiMAX industry? (chan 3119440)

The WiMAX industry has worked hard to develop a vision and market strategy for WiMAX 2. But since most WiMAX service providers have abandoned the technology in favor of LTE for their next-generation mobile broadband deployments, the WiMAX industry has repositioned WiMAX 2 for vertical applications and other niche markets. The strategy offers some hope for WiMAX 2--but it also has drawbacks, which is not good when business options are limited.

"Four years ago WiMAX had a wish and a dream, but that's not what happened," said Mohammad Shakouri, interim chair of the WiMAX Forum. The organization is now promoting WiMAX solutions as complementary to LTE rather than competitive with it.

The WiMAX industry developed WiMAX 2, based on the IEEE 802.16m standard, to improve mobile WiMAX network capacity and deliver faster data rates to customers. On paper and in field trials, WiMAX 2 was successful, and in January, the International Telecommunications Union formally approved WiMAX 2 as a next-generation IMT-Advanced standard along with LTE Advanced technology. The WiMAX Forum is now preparing a WiMAX 2 certification program so that vendors can begin introducing certified equipment to the marketplace; the program should launch by July.

The accomplishments may not be enough to fully revitalize WiMAX 2, however. With the exodus of its operator partners, most WiMAX vendors have also left the industry. Samsung is considered the main supplier for WiMAX 2.

"I find it very difficult to believe that this will revolutionize WiMAX's fortunes," said Keith Mallinson, founder of WiseHarbor. "All the major players have made their exit plays."

Operator support is lacking
Nevertheless, WiMAX does appear to have some staying power--at least for now. During 2011, Shakouri said, the WiMAX industry grew 15 percent from equipment sold for existing networks. But the industry needs to find traction with WiMAX 2 to prevent WiMAX from becoming an end-of-life technology, according to Phil Marshall, chief research officer at Tolaga Research.

"The WiMAX community has an incentive to try to promote WiMAX 2 and identify markets where they can get momentum, because if you don't do that you're throwing in the towel," he said.

The WiMAX Forum still believes some high-profile operators will adopt WiMAX 2, and it hopes that successful implementations will attract more operators. The main company to watch is UQ Communications in Japan, a subsidiary of KDDI, which trialed WiMAX 2 last year. UQ's investment is important, Infonetics Research noted in September, because it shows there is an alternative to LTE. It is also important to the WiMAX Forum because it will showcase UQ's thriving use of WiMAX for MVNO and other wholesale services.

Another expected operator is YTL Communications in Malaysia. YTL was awarded spectrum in December that it said it will use to support its WiMAX 2 roll out. Max Telecom in Bulgaria is also interested in WiMAX 2.

But are these deployments guaranteed? According to Marshall, UQ is seeking a regulatory easement to allow it to use LTE technology in its spectrum, which is currently allocated specifically for WiMAX.

"In the interim, they have an interest in promoting the evolution of WiMAX because that's all they can work with at the moment," he said.

And Wing K. Lee, YTL's CEO, told the Wall Street Journal in September that YTL "could switch to LTE quickly if that standard becomes most widely adopted."

Vertical markets are key
Vertical markets are vital to WiMAX 2, and the forum is working hard to sell the technology to utilities, smart cities and airports.

WiMAX has made some headway with utilities, and these deployments have helped drive WiMAX sales in 2011, according to Infonetics.

Smart cities are another emerging market. The WiMAX Forum touts previous municipal deployments in Taiwan and a significant new win in Houston, Texas, which is deploying a city-wide 802.16e mobile WiMAX network. But cellular operators are also targeting these types of opportunities.

WiMAX does have exclusivity in an aviation segment that will use mobile WiMAX as the basis for a forthcoming airport surface communications system called AeroMACS. This win showcases WiMAX's suitability for use in rigorous, demanding industries. It is a finite market, however. According to the WiMAX Forum, AeroMaCS represents a total potential market of 20,000 - 36,000 base stations, 375,000 ground vehicles and 13,000 airplanes. The system is also specific to 802.16e.

The vertical market strategy for WiMAX 2 may in fact be undercut by 802.16e, which will be suitable for many verticals and even preferred, at least initially, because devices based on the existing technology will be cheaper than early WiMAX 2 products. Vertical markets may also decide that WiMAX 2 is "not as compelling because the ecosystem will be more limited," said Monica Paolini, founder and president of Senza Fili Consulting (and a Fierce contributor).

Even if operators and others want to use WiMAX 2, many will need new spectrum to offer the technology. Older mobile WiMAX networks can operate in channels as narrow as 5 MHz, but WiMAX 2 requires a 10 MHz channel. Operators will want to deploy it in 20 or 40 MHz channels as customer demands for high-bandwidth applications and faster data rates increase.

"The challenge for the industry is to identify these broadband channels that are affordable," Shakouri said.

WiMAX Forum

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