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Navini Mobilizes at 2 Dot 3

Light Reading reports that Navini Networks, announced today the availability of its pre-mobile WiMAX Ripwave MX platform, in the 2.3 GHz frequency band.

“2.3 GHz is likely to be a major WiMAX 16e frequency for personal broadband worldwide,” said Roger Dorf, president and CEO, Navini Networks. “We’ve had customers commercially operating at this frequency around the world since 2004 … there’s a lot of momentum.”

Among them are recently announced Scarlet Broadband in Curacao, QMAX in Singapore, Liberty Technologies in Panama and in the U.S., Meganet Broadband (Massachusetts).

BellSouth’s Wireless Broadband Service (FAQ) is a WiMAX-like service that uses the 2.3 GHz band. It delivers up to 1.5 Mbps downstream and up to 384Kbps upstream.

Bell South initially deployed the 2.3 GHz Navini service last August in Athens, Georgia, and has since deployed in Palatka, Fla.; New Orleans, La.; Gulfport, Miss.; and DeLand, Fla. BellSouth plans to expand the service to additional cities throughout 2006.

BellSouth is using Navini gear in Athens. Navini also has three pre-Mobile WiMAX networks in Australia including the two largest cities – Sydney and Melbourne.

In the U.S., 2.3 GHz is currently defined as the WCS Band. It has some stringent FCC requirements for emission masks and limitations on providing mobility because it’s located adjacent to satellite radio repeaters. The two (15Mhz) WCS bands are on either side of the satellite radio frequencies.

They may be made less effective for WiMax due to high power satellite radio terrestrial repeaters blasting out 2,000 watts EIRP right next door. XM satellite radio uses terrestrial repeaters in their same assigned “S” band (2320-2345 MHz).

The 2.3 GHz band, also called the Wireless Communications Service (WCS), was created in 1997 by the FCC to provide licensees of spectrum in the 2305-2320 and 2345-2360 MHz bands with broad flexibility.

Bell South owns a chunk of 2.3 GHz and has deployed WiMax at 2.3 GHz in Athens, Ga. They are expanding service in several additional Florida cities later in the year. Sprint is testing WiMax in the 2.5 GHz band.

Navini is currently the only vendor to have commercial deployment of 2.3 GHz in the U.S., and also the only vendor capable of deploying within the constraints of all WCS blocks, including C and D.

Navini has already deployed dozens of broadband wireless networks in the 3.5GHz and 2.3GHGz bands, using its proprietary Ripwave products. After joining the WiMax Forum a year ago, it is in the process of moving its products to the 802.16e, Mobile WiMax standards.

Navini also plans to launch a card for the 2.5-2.6GHz band: “Of our 50 networks, two thirds will launch PC cards this year,” said Sai Subramanian vice president marketing at Navini.

Navini will have its pre-mobile WiMAX platform, the Ripwave MX, running 2.3 GHz at WCA June 28-29th in Washington, D.C., where attendees will be able to see integrated demos such as VoIP and IPTV.

Some of the first Mobile WiMAX products began emerging at CommunicAsia this year as vendors began preparing for the first wave of certification for the recently finalized specification.

Samsung is well ahead of any other vendor, says Telephony, with commercial trials ongoing in Seoul and plans for a citywide expansion. Samsung also conducted successful tests of its equipment at the Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy, and has an ongoing trial with Sprint in the U.S. At CommunicAsia, Samsung was exhibiting its first WiMAX handsets, while most vendors have released portable external CPEs.

WiBro, the wireless broadband standard developed in Korea, uses 2.3 GHz and is being folded into the Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) standard. Om Malik says WiBro is going to India.

Samsung, encouraged by some of the recent spectrum allocations in the 2.3 GHz to 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands in India, sees huge potential in the rural areas and regions that are off the main grids. Samsung VP Dr Hung Song says the company is in talks with Indian operators for the possible roll-out of WiBro in the near future.