Early rounds of testing for WiMax equipment
The equipment under scrutiny is based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.’s (IEEE) fixed wireless 802.16-2004 specification and various vendors have submitted their equipment for testing.
Testing is taking place at Cetecom SA’s laboratory in Malaga, Spain and according to Mo Shakouri, VP of marketing for WiMax Forum, “The door is open. Vendors have started shipping equipment to the lab.”
Shakouri has not revealed the names of the vendors involved in the early phase of testing but according to Unstrung companies like Airspan Networks Inc, Siemens AG, Alvarion, Aperto Networks and Redline Communications Inc. have all been mentioned.
Testing will occur in two phases with the first phase involved in conformance testing of the kit in the 3.5 GHz frequency band.
The second phase is interoperability tests using silicon, base stations and CPE kit from the various vendors.
Products passing both the conformance and interoperability tests will be “WiMax certified” and made available for commercial enterprises.
Shakouri stated that the testing process will progress quickly and consumers can expect to see the products on the shelves by 2006.
“At the end of 2005, the actual certification will finish and then you’ll get mass-market products in the beginning of 2006.”
Testing in the 5.8 GHz spectrum band is likely to begin next year and there are plans to open more labs to handle the additional testing according to Shakouri.
“Our target goal is to put labs close to where vendors are making equipment as that is where it is needed.”
The IEEE is forging ahead and by the end of this year a mobile version of WiMax called 802.16e is expected to be approved.
Once IEEE approval is granted the WiMax Forum will begin certification testing of the 802.16e kit which they expect to start in the third quarter of 2006. Mass-market commercial availability is predicted for around 2007.
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