Can YOU see the difference?
Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000--The IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO) today announced the formation and first meeting of the Broadband Wireless Internet Forum (BWIF). The goal of the BWIF is to provide cost-effective, broadband wireless access, with industry-leading performance and reliability for compelling end-user applications such as high-speed Internet access, premium streaming audio and video content and voice. BWIF becomes the sixth publicly announced industry group to organize as a program of the IEEE-ISTO, which will facilitate the Forum's day-to-day activities.
BWIF is an incorporated, non-profit association of industry-leading companies that will work together to ensure adoption of a single, unified broadband wireless access industry standard. Members of BWIF will drive product roadmaps that will lower product costs, simplify deployment of advanced services, and ensure the availability of interoperable standards-based solutions based on Vector Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (VOFDM) technology. BWIF members agree to cross-license to other BWIF members, the technologies required to implement the standard on a worldwide, royalty-free basis.
Wireless Starting Point
Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, is contributing to BWIF several patent-pending Broadband Wireless intellectual property innovations based on VOFDM, a cost-effective version of MIMO OFDM (Multiple Input Multiple Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). VOFDM streams high-speed voice, video and data easily through congested city, suburban and rural environments by minimizing the line-of-sight limitations and installation problems faced by other broadband wireless access technologies. Cisco's Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) solutions, based on the VOFDM standard, are currently in trials with major telecommunications carriers in several metropolitan areas in the United States
Also taking a leadership role in support of BWIF is Broadcom Corporation. Broadcom is implementing VOFDM technology in integrated circuits, and is offering early access to system-level silicon for select customers to accelerate broadband wireless equipment provider's products to the market. Broadcom's heritage with numerous standards-based efforts addresses a wide range of markets including Data-over-Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), HomePNA and Gigabit Ethernet over Copper. Broadcom's industry-leading, highly integrated, silicon solutions enable broadband digital transmission of voice, data and video content to and throughout the home and within the business enterprise.
Invitation to Open Meeting on July 26
The first meeting of BWIF will include an Open Meeting, to be held on July 26, 2000 in Denver, Colorado, USA. BWIF will host companies representing many facets of wireless technology implementation including service providers, semiconductor manufacturers, system integrators, Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) vendors, installation services companies and Radio Frequency (RF) system suppliers. Companies planning to attend the first plenary meeting include Cisco Systems, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Toshiba, Pace Micro Technology plc., LCC International, Inc., Getronics, Bechtel, TurboNet Communications, Fluor, PipingHot Networks, WFI (Wireless Facilities, Inc.) and W J Communications.
This meeting will offer participants the opportunity to gain a complete understanding of BWIF's goals and organizational structure. Interested parties will also review the Intellectual Property License Agreement, and gain insight into the future BWIF capabilities and programs. Information regarding this Open Meeting can be accessed at ieee-isto.org. Advanced registration is required to attend this meeting.
businesswire.com
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TI, Broadcom Back
Cisco VOFDM Coalition
By Loring Wirbel, EE Times
CISCO SYSTEMS on Tuesday announced an industry coalition to support the use of vector-based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (VOFDM) for broadband wireless access.
The effort includes Bechtel Telecommunications, Electronic Data Systems, KPMG, LCC International, Motorola, Pace Micro Technology, Samsung Electronics, and Toshiba, as well as commitments from Broadcom and Texas Instruments to provide mixed-signal Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) for the advanced modulation scheme.
OFDM technologies have found increasing favor in realms as diverse as wireless LANs and third-generation (3G) cellular phones. Cisco's vector version of the modulation scheme will allow multiplexing of time-division and packet traffic in wireless broadband networks using such frequencies as the U-NII 5-GHz band defined by the Federal Communications Commission and the 28-GHz bands used for LMDS. The VOFDM proposal being promoted by the companies specifies that customer premises equipment will utilize a Layer 2 MAC (Media Access Control) technology similar to that employed for Ethernet packet standards.
Gregg Lowe, vice president of worldwide ASICs at Texas Instruments, said his company had been working with Cisco for two years on ASIC implementations of a MAC and physical-layer interface for VOFDM.
The use of OFDM could prove problematic, however. Wi-LAN, a small Canadian company that pioneered OFDM's use in wireless local loops and licensed OFDM algorithms for the IEEE's 802.11b wireless LAN working group, has indicated it will take an aggressive approach to intellectual property protection. Wi-LAN recently approached the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) with a proposal for licensing the Wi-LAN patent 5,555,268, saying that several 3G concepts being considered by ITU could infringe on the company's patent for multicode direct sequence spread spectrum.
teledotcom.com
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Broadcom Corporation, Toshiba, Pace Micro Technology plc., LCC International, Inc., Getronics, Bechtel, TurboNet Communications, Fluor, PipingHot Networks, WFI (Wireless Facilities, Inc.) and W J Communications.
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Bechtel Telecommunications, Electronic Data Systems, KPMG, LCC International, Motorola, Pace Micro Technology, Samsung Electronics, and Toshiba, as well as commitments from Broadcom and Texas Instruments
Don'tcha love a puzzle?
NOW, say...13 is...and 14 is...
Regards,
Jim |
