To All WIN / WILIF Investors (and Hatim too ! )
Is Cisco & Companies' VOFDM Really a Threat ??
In my view Vector OFDM represents little more that a Positive Challenge for Wi-Lan,
its partners, and potential partners (EG Lucent and Nortel) .
My reasons and opinions follow:
Past experience with an upstart company called Cascade Communications, now a division of Lucent, has
proven without a doubt that Cisco is Not invincible.
Cascade, with its Frame Relay and ATM products regularly trounced Cisco's Stratacom Division - both before, and after Cisco rescued ( bought ) them.
First --
Referring to Bernard Levy's post, Message 11765629 ,
To simplify things, I would say VOFDM = smart antennas.
Time will tell -- if Cisco's VOFDM products are in violation of Wi-Lan's WOFDM Patent(s), but it is my belief that, this patent issue, is not really of any great importance.
Rather, I believe that the Cisco VOFDM product introduction signals a golden opportunity
for Wi-Lan (and partners, present or future) to emulate Cascade Communications by introducing a superior OFDM product with the optional refinements of Switched Multibeam, Steerable beam , or Sector beam Adaptive Antennae.
The Steerable beam or Switched multibeam Options would most likely require some sort of interrogation - response (or training) sequence in order to select and retain optimum transmit -receive paths between the Wi-Lan Access Point and its associated Remote Stations.
The "Training signals " are referred to in Benard's post , Message 11831674.
I would say that the training process is essentially similar to what we commonly encounter when a dial-up modem works to establish or "negotiate" a best available telephone line connection, between itself and the remote modem.
Most of us have heard the modem's incessant squawking and buzzing that occurs (during this process) when the telco connection is not particularly good.
To paraphrase from wireless_wonk's (and bernard's) posts , Message 11725465 and Message 11725846 ----
Lucent's "BLAST with an OFDM flavor" may be a "generally similar concept " .
Now would not that be a BLAST -- if Lucent and Wi-Lan were to combine these two technologies in a positive way !!
In order to get a technical, or low-tech visual representation, of a typical Adaptive Antenna system --
I suggest a review of the PDF versions of the following current Ericsson Review magazine articles.
The text represents the technical details, while the figures will suffice for most of us low-tech types.
ericsson.se and
ericsson.se
I personally am confident that Hatim, and his able selectees, are ready, willing, and able, to take on the
VOFDM challenge.
We holders of WIN, and WILIF, should look forward to this challenge as well.
Best wishes,
Mardy Marshall
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