Motorola today announced a strategic initiative to develop mobile WiMAX chipsets for use in Motorola’s next-generation WiMAX devices. Motorola is a leader in end-to-end WiMAX solutions, from infrastructure and handsets to the core implementation of WiMAX in chipsets.
Motorola’s initial chipset will focus on core 802.16e mobile WiMAX functionality supporting voice, video, and data for low power mobile applications in handsets and modules. These first chipsets are scheduled to support commercial Motorola WiMAX devices in 2008 for carriers in North America, Japan and around the world including Sprint and others. Motorola is working with its silicon vendors on the overall fabrication of the new chipsets.
“For some time now Motorola has been investing in the development and deployment of WiMAX,” said Ron Garriques, president of Motorola’s Mobile Devices Business. “In our vision of seamless mobility, WiMAX will help transform the mobile communications experience for everyone.”
Sprint Nextel is the first U.S. wireless carrier to embrace mobile WiMax, led by Intel and Motorola. They predict as many as 100 million people will be within reach of its network in two years. WiMax promises to cover up to two miles from one base station and deliver speeds of up to 12 Mbps, compared with 128 Kbps to sev- eral megabits per second on third-generation wireless networks.
Other Mobile WiMAX chipsets include:
- Intel’s Rosedale 2 WiMAX chipset, combines Mobile WiMax with fixed. Because it is pin compatible with Intel’s earlier PRO/Wireless 5116 fixed WiMAX chipset, Rosedale 2 offers an easy upgrade path for equipment manufacturers. Intel plans a combined mobile WiMax and Wi-Fi chipset, code-named Ofer-R, by 2008.
Motorola is working with Intel to develop devices that can handle multimedia applications without consuming a lot of battery power, says Richard Nottenburg, Motorola’s chief strategy officer.
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Sequans is now sampling its WiMAX mobile station chips. The Sequans’ SQN1110 system-on-chip (SoC) supports the 802.16e-2005 (Mobile WiMAX) standard, with a fully integrated physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layer.
Sequans says it will be used in mobile devices — handsets, smartphones, PDAs, PC cards, USB dongles — as well as fixed devices. The SQN1110 chips are sampling now along with evaluation kits for the SQN2110 base station chipsets. General availability for both is scheduled for September 2006.
LG Electronics will use a Sequans SQN110 chip in its subscriber units. Samsung’s dual-mode handset, due the first half of ‘07, will combine WiMax and GSM while Samsung also has a dual mode WiBro/CDMA phone.
- Beceem Communications claims to be the only company that has developed a single chip with integrated PHY and MAC functionality as well as a custom WiMAX radio chip. Beceem’s WiMAX Reference Design Kit typically includes PCMCIA card prototypes.
- ZyXEL announced a WiMAX CPE and WiMAX PCMCIA Notebook card that’s ready to go with the new IEEE802.16e-2005 standard. It’s designed from the ground up for city-wide deployments and has a 23dBm RF design for long range in the 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands. ZyXEL says it makes mobile Internet access a reality with the added benefit of guaranteed Quality of Service. Alcatel is launching their 802.16e-compatible CPE products in cooperation with Taiwan-based Zyxel.
Related DailyWireless articles include Mobile WiMAX: The Attack Plan, Alvarion’s 3.5GHz WiMAX Client, Navini Ships Mobile WiMAX Ready Gear, Sequans Mobilizes with Altera, Wide Wide World of WiMAX, Airspan Gets Certified, TeleCIS Mobilizes Fixed WiMAX, Wavesat Teams with SK for WiBro, and Mobile WiMax: It’s Done.
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