Behind the Wimax

 
Manila Bulletin
From: Bridging the Gap
Published: Feb. 14, 2005

Perhaps even before the phrase ?digital divide? was coined, the telecom industry has been searching for a cost-effective way to bridge the gap between the ?haves? and ?have nots,? making broadband services accessible to all. In developed countries, cable and DSL have effectively narrowed the divide, but they're not without limitations. The problem is far more complex in developing countries, where in some cases vast sectors of the population have limited access to even the most basic telephone services. For service providers eager to tap into these underserved markets, WiMax holds the promise of delivering broadband services on a ubiquitous scale. Though broadband wireless is not an entirely new technology, the evolution to a standards-based, inter-operable, carrier-class solution gives WiMax the trifecta needed to drive wide scale deployment. Service providers seeking to build broadband infrastructure in developing countries should take fiber as far as they can, then go wireless. WiMax will allow these companies to deploy more quickly and at lower costs. For those looking to fill the holes in their cable or DSL networks, wireless is the most viable solution.

For questions and inquiries further to the theory behind Wimax, please call Filipinas Wincomm Corporation at Tel No. 910-1111 or come and visit thier office address at Suite 2003, Orient Square Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig, Manila.

Accelerating the introduction of cost-effective broadband wireless access services into the market is the ultimate goal of the WiMax Forum. The advent of a standards-based, interoperable solution will create economies of scale that will drive price and performance to levels unachievable with proprietary equipment. But a standard alone is not enough to incite mass adoption of a technology. To impact and deliver broadband as we'd like to see it, the industry needs an organization like the WiMax Forum to promote and certify that products put on the market live up to the promise of interoperability and conformance.

The WiMax Forum will conduct testing and label vendor systems ?WiMax Forum Certified,? guaranteeing that products have been independently verified to be both conformant to the standard and inter-operable with other vendor equipment. These systems will be scalable for up to thousands of users, and because of their interoperability, service providers will be able to purchase equipment from more than one vendor reducing investment risk and creating a price-competitive marketplace.

Some have posed the question, ?How real is WiMax?? The answer is that WiMax is as real as it gets. WiMax is not a new technology it is a more innovative and commercially viable adaptation of a proven technology that is delivering broadband services around the global today. In fact, wireless broadband access systems from WiMax Forum members are already deployed in more than 125 countries around the world. These leading equipment providers are on a migration path to WiMax. The first generation of WiMax Forum Certified CPEs will be outdoor-installable subscriber stations akin to a satellite dish. These are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2005 and priced above $350. The second generation of CPEs will be indoor-installable modems similar to a cable or DSL modem, will be priced under $200 and are expected to be available in the Q1 2006 timeframe. No truck roll will be required with indoor-installable modems. With the advent of a standard and economies of scale driving down price and improving performance, many analysts predict a virtual explosion in the market size for broadband wireless.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of WiMax one with the potential to make this a significantly bigger market is the evolution to mobility. The WiMax Forum is working aggressively to incorporate mobile capabilities into the 802.16 standard by the end of 2004. In the 2006 timeframe, we can expect that WiMax will be incorporated into end-user devices like notebook computers and PDAs along with WiFi and Bluetooth, enabling the delivery of wireless broadband directly to the end user at home, in the office and on the move.

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