Alcatel has been selected by ACCA Networks, one of Japan’s largest DSL and Optical Fiber Access service providers with over a million subscribers, to launch a Mobile WiMAX trial in the Tokyo area.

Alcatel’s Evolium WiMAX radio solution, available in mid-2006, will be used. It will be Alcatel’s first WiMAX reference in Japan based on the 802.16e-2005, the IEEE’s universal WiMAX standard. Key collaborators include Intel Corporation, KT, Samsung and C-DOT. Alcatel has signed partnerships with Samsung, an early developer of the Korean Wi-Bro standard.

The Alcatel/ACCA WiMAX trial network will be deployed in June 2006. ACCA will validate the integration of WiMAX services with a first set of applications including video streaming, high-speed Internet access and Voice-over-IP. The trial is a first step towards offering commercial service and satisfying growing demand for access to advanced broadband Internet applications from any location.

The Alcatel Evolium WiMAX end-to-end solution provided for the trial will operate in the 2.5 GHz frequency band and includes base station equipment, indoor CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), mobile terminals and integration services. Alcatel and Lucent Technologies recently announced a merger to form a leading communication solutions provider.

Toyko appears to be ground zero for Mobile WiMAX. At least two other Toyko Mobile WiMAX trails have been announced:

• NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest cellular operator, is planning a year of tests of IEEE802.16e WiMax in Tokyo using the 2.5GHz band.
• Airspan and YOZAN, a leading telecommunications operator in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, plan to deploy a Tokyo-wide WiMAX network. The Yozan MetroZone will deliver high speed IP connectivity, and support Voice, Video and broadband data services.

Sky Light Research and Telephony Magazine created a cheat sheet on WiMAX vendors:

Related DailyWireless articles include World Wide WiMAX, February’s Paris WiMAX Summit, More Tokyo WiMAX, Navini covers the state of Rhode Island, Samsung WiMAXes Michigan, Nortel is WiMAXing 8,000 square miles in Alberta, Seoul’s WiBro pilot is On, Italy Plans WiMAX, and PIPEX to deploy WiMAX in UK.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Thursday, April 20th, 2006 at 1:13 am.