Commercial Mobile WiMAX/WiBro service took off like a shot this week in Seoul, Korea, with the launch of WiBro broadband wireless service, which combines WiFi speed with cellular range.

It was a shot heard round the world. According to EE Times, KT and SK Telecom launched WiBro at several high-demand areas in and around Seoul. Both companies plan to expand coverage throughout Seoul and surrounding cities by the end of this year. They’ll take it nationwide by 2008.

Om Malik made a global WiBro map. Not to be outdone, we made one too, using Platial, a handy (and free) website that makes making map mashups easy. It doesn’t include all the world’s WiMax trials and rollouts, but it’s a start. We’ll keep updating it.

KT has been conducting WiBro trials around Seoul since March. It first showcased the technology at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Busan, South Korea last November.

South Korea, already the most wired country in the world, is likely to keep their lead in broadband wireless.

Korea Telecom (Korea’s largest telco) and SK Telecom (Korea’s largest cellular provider) plan to blanket the country in the next few years. And take it global. They are getting promotional consideration from the WiMAX Forum.

Of course there’s no Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) products yet. Testing for interoperability won’t begin for another 6 months (at least).

Whether it works or not is no longer the prime consideration…the Mobile WiMAX machine has now been engaged. Here’s the latest pitch from the the WiMAX Forum (pdf):

Among the broad mix of service providers trialing or committed to deploy mobile WiMAX are wireline incumbents, 3G and 2G mobile operators, DSL and cable modem operators, CLECs, WISPs, greenfield operators and MVNOs.

Their WiMAX strategies are varied, but they all depend on key WiMAX strengths:

• Superior performance, made possible by the adoption of OFDMA multiplexing, which gives WiMAX a performance edge in delivering IP data services compared to 3G technologies.
• Flexibility, which allows service providers to support multiple usage models, including fixed and mobile access, over the same WiMAX infrastructure and to operate their networks in multiple spectrum bands.
• Advanced IP-based architecture, which includes IMS support to facilitate a rapid, low cost, rollout of new applications and of interworking with 3G and other technologies.
• Attractive economics, driven by a standards-based approach, cost-effective infrastructure, mass adoption of low-cost subscriber units, and attractive IPR royalties.

WiMAX modules will be embedded into many data, CE and voice devices, including notebooks, PDAs, Ultra Mobile PCs, games consoles, MP3 players, cellular phones and smartphones, as well as devices for vertical application, like CCTV cameras and in-vehicle subscriber stations. WiMAX support for QoS and low latency will translate into improved support for real-time, low-latency applications like VoIP, video gaming, streaming and video conferencing.

Mobile WiMax is on the move…globally…through these carriers:

• Speakeasy (U.S.)
• Covad/NextWeb (U.S.)
• AT&T (U.S.)
• Towerstream (U.S.)
• Qwest (U.S.)
• Arialink (U.S.)
• BellSouth (U.S.)
• Clearwire (U.S.)
• TeleMex (Mexico )
• AXTEL (Mexico)
• Omnivision (Venezuela)
• TVA Sistema de Televisao (Brazil)
• ETB (Colombia)
• ERTach (Argentina )
• Telgua (Guatemala)
• BEC Telecom (Dominican Republic)
• British Telcom (UK)
• PIPEX (UK)
• UK Broadband (UK)
• Irish Broadband (Ireland)
• Altitude Telecom (France)
• Iberbanda (Spain)
• MobileCity (Sweden)
• SferaNET (Poland)
• WiMAX Telecom (Austria and Slovakia)
• WiTel (Ukraine)
• Telkom (South Africa)
• Personal Broadband (Australia)
• Unwired (Australia)
• PacNet (Singapore)
• Korea Telecom (South Korea)
• SK Telecom (South Korea)
• ACCA Networks (Japan)
• Yozan (Japan)
• KDDI (Japan)
• M-Taiwan (Taiwan)

In addition, several carriers are in the process of deploying WiMAX networks that are expected to be up and running by the end of the year, including:

• Americatel Peru (Peru)
• Call Plus (New Zealand)
• Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan)
• DBD Deutsched Breitband Dienste GmbH (Germany)
• Digicel (Caribbean)
• Entel (Chile)
• Integrated Telecom Company (Saudi Arabia)
• Next Mobile (Philippines)
• Taiwan Fixed Networks (Taiwan)
• VeloCom (Argentina)

Related Dailywireless articles include; Japan: 3rd Largest Broadband Market, CommunicAsia 2006, WiMAX at Globecomm, WiMAX World Europe, Navini Mobilizes at 2 Dot 3, Intel’s Mobile WiMAX Chip Due, IEEE Suspends 802.20 Deliberations, Mobile WiMAX: The Attack Plan, Navini Ships Mobile WiMAX Ready Gear, XM Buys 2.3GHz, City Clouds: Becoming The World Cup and Mobile WiMax: It’s Done.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Wednesday, July 5th, 2006 at 5:45 am.