WiMAX Wireless Momentum Grows

Alcatel, Seimens and Intel have all annoinced plans to coporate and work to build and advance WiMAX products and base stations. WiMAX is a emerging wireless protocol that delivers high speed data and covers a large range.

Alcatel and Intel have announced a strategic alliance for the definition, standardization, development, integration and marketing of WiMAX end-to-end solutions. This alliance will deliver solutions and products by the second half of 2005.

Siemens has joined together with Intel and the WiMAX Forum industry organization to advance the IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) standard. Within this context, Intel and Siemens will work together on the development of WiMAX base-station infrastructure equipment as well as end user subscriber station devices to deliver to providers.

Covering frequencies up to 11 GHz, WiMAX networks have a service area range of up to 52 kilometers (31 miles) and allow users to get broadband connectivity without needing a direct line of sight to the base station. This wireless broadband technology also provides shared data rates up to 70 Mbps, which is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support more than 60 businesses with E1/T1-type connectivity and hundreds of homes with DSL-type connectivity using a single sector of a base station.

WiMAX can be deployed in emerging markets and developed countries, both in urban and rural areas. It offers either broadband access where DSL (DigitalSubscriber Line) cannot reach customers for technical or economical reasons, a last-mile alternative for competitive operators with a combined voice and broadband access offer, or nomadic access complementary to GSM/Edge, Wi-Fi and 3G.