ITU set to make WiMAX a 3G standard
By Stuart Corner
Sunday, 04 February 2007
There is a good chance that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will allow mobile WiMAX to be included in its range of 3G technologies, collectively known as IMT-2000.
Such a move would bring considerable benefits by allowing WiMAX to operate in globally allocated frequency bands, allow it to be used to complement other 3G technologies, enable global roaming and reduce equipment costs.
According to the WiMAX Forum, in a new White Paper "WiMAX and IMT-2000" "including IP-OFDMA (mobile WiMAX) within the IMT-2000 family of radio transmission technologies will put mobile WiMAX on a comparable worldwide footing with EV-DO, HSPA, and other recent and planned enhancements to 3G technology. This will offer operators an additional migration path to consider as they strive to add network capabilities to support a larger suite of value-added broadband services."
The White paper explains: "Supporting IP-OFDMA in the IMT-2000 family enables significant flexibility in network deployment options and service offerings. For example, service providers can provide access in low density environments or enhance access capacity in metropolitan and suburban areas to support value-added services. The inclusion of this additional radio interface would provide added value by giving service providers additional flexibility in selecting an IMT-2000 technology for a more optimal fit to their business model, and a more logical stepping stone to the delivery of Next Generation Mobile Internet services...The WiMAX Forum Global Roaming Working Group expects to announce a specification and business model to assure 'roaming' within WiMAX as well as other networks designated in IMT-2000. Service providers also benefit from open global standards that foster vendor interoperability and lower equipment costs."
WiMAX Day, a newsletter published by the WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance, reported that, ITU Working Party 8F met in Cameroon at the end of January to look at IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000
"The general consensus from delegates to the meeting is that WiMAX will soon become recognised as an IMT-2000 technology, and that decision process is now on the fast-track."
According to WiMAX Day, "The exact technology that is being considered for inclusion in IMT is 'IP-OFDMA'. This is an acronym for Internet Protocol - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access used by the IEEE 802.16e mobility standard, which is otherwise commonly referred to as WiMAX."
WiMAX Day goes on to say that the final decision to include WiMAX in the IMT-2000 family is scheduled for the meeting of the World Radio Conference (WRC-07) in October when spectrum allocation for IMT will be a major topic of discussion. Crunch time, according to WiMAX Day, will be the May meeting of the 8F working group, in Tokyo.
According to a report in Policy Tracker "The strong support for quick action to get WiMAX admitted to IMT-2000 by the end of the Kyoto meeting on May 31 came from major administrations including the US, UK and Australia and has encouraged the WiMAX camp."
It said that the turning point of the Cameroon meeting came when US delegates pushed for the rapid inclusion of the standard into IMT-2000 before October.
The report said that the groups involved would make their final evaluations before the Kyoto meeting, and barring any objections, the final approval should be given at the following meeting on June 25.
itwire.com.au
Now it is much clearer how the current Mobile WiMAX is a stepping stone to a single world standard based on OFDM!
I have seen the future of universal mobile broadband wireless, and its name is WiMAX....
Cheers! TM |
