Runcom has announced the world’s first Mobile WiMAX Compact Flash card for Pocket PC, according to PDA Live.

Besides creating a prototype Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) transceiver on a CompactFlash card, the Israel-based company signed a collaboration agreement with Microsoft. The software giant agreed to help develop Windows Mobile 5.0 drivers to allow Plug and Play functionality. Then Mobile WiMax CF or USB cards won’t need to install or download any drivers.

Runcom’s user terminals and base stations comply with the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard for WiBro (the Korean WiMAX variant) and mobile WiMax. They include the PHY and MAC communication layers. The company claims that its RNA200 ASIC was the first mobile WiMax compliant ASIC onto the market, a claim that might find dispute from Sequans which has several design wins for its SQN1110 mobile WiMAX chip.

Sequans recently announced the general availability of its mobile WiMAX chip (SQN1110) for client devices. They also provide a base station solution for mobile WiMAX (SQN2110), as well as a base station and subscriber station chips for fixed WiMAX (SQN2010, SQN1010). Sequans will deliver in Q1 2007 a mobile WiMAX chip (SQN 1130) for client devices designed to exceed WiMAX Forum Wave 2 certification requirements.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 at 10:54 am.