Mobile WiMAX gets seal of approval from IEEE
In a move that should help the development of broadband wireless access (BWA) systems across the globe, the IEEE has approved the 802.16e "WiMAX" standard.
RF chipmakers will welcome the move, which extends the existing 802.16 standard to include combined fixed and mobile BWA subscriber stations moving at speeds typical of car travel. Mobile WiMAX will operate in licensed bands below 6 GHz.
A number of compound semiconductor chip companies, such as Nitronex, Cree, Eudyna Devices and TriQuint Semiconductor are targeting WiMAX already, with components based on either GaAs, SiC or GaN transistors (see related stories).
Semiconductor suppliers were heavily involved in the development of the standard for the past three years, said Roger Marks, the chair of the IEEE 802.16 working group on BWA. "The foundation for a global industry is now in place," he added.
Acknowledging that the road to development had been both long and difficult, Brian Kiernan, who led the IEEE mobile WiMAX task group, said: "The [new] standard gives service operators the ability to provide a wide range of revolutionary high-speed, mobile wireless applications and services that will greatly improve people's way of life."
The precise application areas where mobile WiMAX will end up deployed are not yet fixed, since the protocol faces stiff competition from other broadband services such as third-generation cellular technology. One theory is that mobile WiMAX could prosper in more remote locations where cellular coverage is patchy or non-existent.
Unsurprisingly, WiMAX Forum president Ron Resnick welcomed the approval of the standard. "The WiMAX Forum and its members can now move forward with confidence as we collaborate to ensure that certified products arrive by late next year or early 2007," Resnick said.
Compound semiconductor firms in the WiMAX Forum include TriQuint, M/A-COM, and Filtronic.
