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WiMAX Forum Global Congress 2009
The WiMAX Forum today announced at its second annual Global Congress 2009 in Amsterdam that 14 ecosystem leaders are participating in the first ever commercial WiMAX interoperability and roaming trials. These operators, device manufacturers, equipment vendors, and clearing houses include Aicent, Alvarion, Bridgewater Systems, Cisco, Clearwire, Comfone, DigitalBridge Communications, Intel, iPass, Juniper Networks, MACH, Motorola, Syniverse and Transaction Network Services.
“This trial represents an end-to-end test of roaming over live WiMAX networks and will provide a baseline for establishing roaming services and agreements for WiMAX worldwide.” said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum. “Roaming with interoperability is important in order to expand the availability of WiMAX services by enabling users to automatically access networks when traveling outside the geographical coverage area of their home network.”
The commercial trial provides another platform for the WiMAX Forum to aggressively position operators and clearinghouses to initiate commercial roaming services which will lead to roaming worldwide. Additionally, the WiMAX Forum provides operators and vendors with all the information needed to understand WiMAX roaming and to launch roaming services, including technical specifications to follow when implementing roaming and a business agreement template to use with other operators.
“The testing of networks and equipment on leading operator networks will demonstrate to all WiMAX operators that they can easily provide roaming services to their customers,” said Resnick. “The goal is to demonstrate the WiMAX standard end-to-end roaming implementation that will be replicated by WiMAX operators and clearinghouses worldwide. This includes WiMAX networks which support roaming services and the roaming back office platforms which track and measure usage for operators to correctly settle accounts with each other.”
Currently, WiMAX Forum tracks more than 475 WiMAX network deployments in 140 countries.
Paving the way for commercial roaming trials in Taiwan in Q3 of this year, the WiMAX Forum announced that Information and Communications Research Laboratories at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a WiMAX Forum board member has launched a one year project providing free WiMAX service on the Muzha/Neihu Line of the Taipei Metro system (MRT).
This project is coordinated by ITRI to work with multiple Taiwanese vendors to provide Mobile internet WiMAX services available to every passenger riding the metro. The network is provided by VMAX, one of the largest Taiwanese WiMAX operators; the equipment is provided by Acer, AWB, MSI, Tecom and ZyXEL, and the content is coming from Taipei Zoo, PTS (Public Television Service) and Taipei City Government.
There will be two applications provided by this service: information broadcasting and free Internet access with a WiMAX/Wi-Fi signal. ITRI will use information broadcasting to provide useful information for passengers and promote Taipei City Government services, such as live scenes from the zoo and other important activities organized by Taipei City Government. This will give passengers instant information, such as the tickets left for the Panda Pavilion of Taipei Zoo, weather forecasting, breaking news, and public promotion video from Taipei City Government. There will be two monitors installed in each car so the passengers can enjoy the latest information while on the Metro. Passengers may also use their WiMAX or Wi-Fi embedded devices for free access to the Internet from the train car.
“3.5G or HSDPA can provide mobile service as well. However, WiMAX provides live scene broadcasting which needs high bandwidth which can’t be supported by HSDPA,” said Resnick. “This service allows for real-time entertainment with live access to the Internet at 4G speeds for free.”
The WiMAX service will be available in eight cars from June 1, 2009 until May 31, 2010.
In addition, the WiMAX Forum Board of Directors has voted unanimously to change the pricing fee setup for its WiMAX Forum Certified program to a market pricing model at all six of its certification labs. The organization was able to move to this pricing plan based on efficiencies in testing enabling lower cost for product testing.
“The maturity of devices that we are seeing in the labs takes less time to test compared to a few years ago,” said Resnick. “Vendor options for pre-testing and debugging reduces operational testing time and also further reduces the time needed for lab testing. Additional automation of testing has also helped lower these costs.”
“This open market model allows for WiMAX Forum certification labs to negotiate directly with vendors,” said Sean Cai, deputy general manager of ZTE Corporation’s WiMAX product line and WiMAX Forum Board Member. “ZTE is encouraged to have the opportunity to control our own destiny and as a result we’re eager get more products into the pipeline for certification.” The WiMAX Forum has 106 certified products in the market today, with a projection of at least 1,000 certified products available by 2011.
The WiMAX Forum is the worldwide consortium focused on global adoption of WiMAX and chartered to establish certification processes that achieve interoperability, publish technical specifications based on recognized standards, promote the technology and pursue a favorable regulatory environment. • 2-6-09
Strategic Partnership Signed Between Orange and HP to Drive Consumer Adoption of Mobile Broadband Across Europe
Orange continued its drive to give more mobile broadband customers Internet on the move, with a new partnership signed with Hewlett Packard. The deal means Orange and HP will co-distribute and market a range of consumer notebooks[1] and HP Minis with mobile and/or fixed broadband access. The three-year pan-European agreement will underpin the delivery of connected offers in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Portugal, to be followed by a rollout across the Orange footprint.
The HP line of products will join Orange's successful mobile broadband portfolio of notebooks and netbooks, giving customers everywhere seamless, simple and affordable access to services such as mobile Internet, TV and other multimedia services. Demand for mobile broadband globally has seen Orange's mobile broadband customer base, including smartphone customers, increase to 23.2 million at 30 Sep 08 - an 81% increase from the previous year[2].
Olaf Swantee, SEVP of Orange's communications services, says: "The demand for mobile broadband is a global phenomenon. Adding a select range of HP Notebooks and Minis to our successful portfolio of connected offers is just the kick-off phase." Olaf adds, "Our partnership with HP is based on more than just sales. Together, we will define new ways to bring services to customers, from co-marketing activities through to distribution, supply chain and care, reinforcing our commitment to make it easy for everyone to access the Internet and their content, whenever and wherever they want."
Eric Cador, senior vice president, HP PSG EMEA, added: "The partnership with Orange has created a new and important channel for HP as customers increasingly turn to the power of the mobile Internet. Our vision is to make mobile Internet simple and always available for people wherever they are, giving customers an even better mobile experience by leveraging Orange's and HP's unique experience and knowledge."
One of these offers is the brand new Compaq Mini 700 which, in the UK, allows customers to buy a ready to use Internet connected notebook for GBP30 a month[3]. As well as a HP Compaq Mini 700, each package consists of Orange's 'Internet Everywhere' mobile broadband service and dongle as well as a 3GB data allowance and 24 month manufacturer warranty.
[1] Notebooks and HP Mini's can be bought separately from mobile and fixed broadband access. • [2] As of end September 2008 (Q3 08 earnings) • [3] Available on 24 month contracts • SOURCE: Orange (15-2-09)
Ice.net, is doubling the capacity of its Scandinavian mobile broadband network and further increasing its coverage. Ice.net has selected Ericsson as technology partner and the existing network nodes will be exchanged. Ice.net’s mobile broadband already has Sweden’s best surface coverage, with 90 per cent of the country’s area, and offers turbo 3G capacity in rural and coastal areas which are not covered by other operators. In early 2009, Ice.net was acquired by Access Industries, a US Industrial group.
The choice of Ericsson as supplier means that ice.net will be able to significantly upgrade network capacity during 2010. Transfer rates multiply as net capacity is increased. “We selected Ericsson in order to ensure that ice.net’s customers receive a technical platform from an established operator with a strong local presence, high quality and distinct long-term plans for development as well as service and maintenance,” says ice.net’s CEO Per Borgklint.
“Ice.net’s mobile broadband is vital to many of our customers – for example, the power industry and blue light operations such as the police, rescue services and ambulance helicopters. We are very pleased that we can now ensure the network’s future development in a better way. This partnership with Ericsson demonstrates the significant progress made by ice.net since the Access takeover to enhance the important services ice.net provides its customers.”
“This is an extremely important deal for Ericsson and we are delighted to have won the confidence of ice.net,” says Mikael Bäckström, head of sales for Ericsson in Scandinavia and the Baltics. “Ericsson has always had local presence in Scandinavia that corresponds very well with ice.net’s high demands. Ice.net will also be our first customer to use the latest CDMA upgrades, which further improve capacity.
” Facts on ice.net Offer: Ice.net delivers mobile broadband with Scandinavia’s best coverage. Coverage: Ice.net covers 84% of Scandinavian land area and approximately 50 kilometres from the shoreline. Ice.net has approximately 90% surface coverage in Sweden. Capacity: Ice.net’s mobile broadband has a transfer rate of 3.1 to 14 Mbit/second.
Technology: Ice.net’s mobile broadband is constructed on the world’s largest 3G standard, CDMA, specifically developed for coverage of large geographic areas. Ownership: Ice.net is controlled by Access Industries, a US Industrial Group. Access Industries is an experienced investor in the telecommunications industry, specifically in wireless broadband, and currently has multiple major long-term holdings across the media industry globally. • 16-2-10
Pannon, T-Mobile and Nokia announced that they will bring Nokia Messaging, Nokia's easy-to-use email service to their customers having Nokia enabled devices in Hungary. From the 1 st November, all Pannon customers and postpaid T-Mobile customers will be able to access the Nokia Messaging push e-mail service, which supports all leading consumer e-mail solutions, such as Ovi Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail as well as the major local e-mail services, such as Citromail, Indamail and Freemail.
"In today's world, access is of key importance - not only the access to information but also the access to each other. Mobile phones pose an obvious solution to keep in touch with each other, and the combination of a handset and an e-mail solution is perfectly in line with Pannon's goals to offer services to our customers that make their lives easier" - said Gergely Laczkó Tóth, acting CMO of Pannon.
"T-Mobile offers numerous solutions for the ever more popular mobile phone based messaging to its customers, and the offer may become even more complete by introducing NokiaMessaging, as subscribers can pick the solutions best matching their needs. Subscribers increasingly expect the capability to make telephone calls, internet connections and watch TV anytime and anywhere - to have the freedom of accessing information or entertain themselves. Jointly with our partners - e.g. the market leader mobile phone manufacturer Nokia - we wish to fully meet these expectations, building upon our internationally acknowledged, excellent quality network" - said János Winkler, Head of T-Mobile in Hungary, COO Magyar Telekom.
"We are pleased to make this announcement simultaneously with Pannon and T-Mobile. Nokia aims to make mobile e-mail available for as many people as possible; therefore the fact that two Hungarian operators offer Nokia Messaging is an important milestone. With Nokia Messaging, we can meet the need of people to access their public e-mail whenever they want, wherever they want" - said Marcus Störkel, Country Manager for Nokia in Hungary.
Nokia Messaging is an easy to set-up and easy to use push email service which allows the user to mobilize up to ten personal e-mail accounts on one device. With Nokia Messaging, people get the benefit of real time messaging and are able to read, send, forward and reply to emails, view subfolders, download and read attachments and also attach files to emails in real time. Using the push e-mail technology e-mail is swiftly and automatically sent to the mobile phone, without needing to retrieve it. Many users want to enjoy the flexibility of different accounts for each of their communities.
The Nokia Messaging service can be tested for 30 days free of charge. Following the test period it will be available for a monthly charge. Users can initiate the activation of the service at the customer service of their mobile operator. The service can be used with Nokia E52, E66, E72, E71 and N97 mobile phones.
Further information about Nokia Messaging is available on the site of Nokia as well as on the websites of the operators Pannon and T-Mobile. • Source: Nokia (11-11-09)
Pannon is one of Hungary's leading mobile operators. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Telenor of Norway, Pannon entered the Hungarian market in 1994. By the end of Q4 2008, Pannon had 3.731 million active subscriptions and a market share of 33.9%. Besides voice services, Pannon's business is increasingly dominated by mobile Internet. In addition to its EDGE network available to 99% of Hungary's population for e-mail and browsing, Pannon is continuously developing its 3G/HSDPA network offering the highest mobile data transfer rates. • T-Mobile is the mobile services brand of Magyar Telekom. Magyar Telekom is the largest telecommunication service provider of Hungary, offering the whole range of telecommunication and infocommunication (ICT) services. • Nokia is the pioneer of mobile telecommunication, and the world's leading mobile telephone manufacturer. Additionally, through NAVTEQ they also offer comprehensive, digital map information as well as jointly with Nokia Siemens Networks they offer tools, solutions and services for mobile network operators.
Denmark has become the latest European country to agree to free up some of the so-called digital dividend spectrum for mobile use. In a press release this week, the Danish Minister of Culture, Carina Christensen, and Helge Sander, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, said the government will allocate spectrum in the 790-862MHz band to mobile broadband operators following completion of the digital TV switchover in Denmark scheduled for 1 November 2009. The decision is seen as a distinct policy shift on the part of the Danish government, which had previously reserved just 8MHz of the digital dividend spectrum for digital broadcasting. According to the GSMA, Denmark had more than 300,000 mobile broadband users by the end of last year.
Denmark joins the likes of the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden in allocating some of the spectrum for mobile broadband services. The country was involved in a meeting with other Baltic states earlier this month, which aimed to establish a unified approach to the allocation of digital dividend spectrum in the region. Government delegations from Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden were also involved in the talks, which were hosted by the Finnish Ministry of Communications in Helsinki. • 25-6-09
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