Navini Networks, known for its “Smart WiMAX”, a standards compliant WiMAX system that maximizes coverage and capacity by combining Beamforming and MIMO technology, is now supporting voice.
Verso Technologies and Navini announced a reciprocal partnership to globally market Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions using Verso’s Class 5 telephony features.
Navini’s beamformed MIMO, called ‘Smart MIMO’, enhances the received signal power, extending range and speed over typical MIMO (without beamforming).
The alliance will provide both companies with access to VoIP over WiMAX opportunities. Navini’s Ripwave MX8 and MX2 base stations, support VoIP (Navini white paper, pdf). The Verso alliance will bring the Verso MetroNet VoIP Overlay solution (an open standards, softswitch platform) to Navini’s WiMAX access infrastructure.
The VoIP solution integrates and packages a standard set of features and capabilities which includes the Verso Clarent endpoint (Class 5) and tandem (Class 4) switching technologies as well as other core switching capabilities and voice services.
The softswitch offering is designed to enable end user access to Voice over Broadband (VoBB) applications such as prepaid, voicemail and hosted PBX.
Certification of Wave 1 mobile WiMAX products is scheduled to begin in mid 2007, with market availability beginning in late 2007. The initial systems that will achieve WiMAX Forum Wave 1 Certification for mobile WiMAX will be based on the 2.3/2.5 GHz profile.
Wave 2 WiMAX clients add MIMO and beamforming. Navini claims their “Wave 2″ functionality is ready to roll with beamforming and MIMO on its Ripwave MX platform.
Samsung’s Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 products also support MIMO and Smart Antennas for 40 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload. Other Wave 2 vendors include Sequans, Beceem and Texas Instruments.
ADAPTIX’s own third-generation OFDMA-TDD MAC/PHY engine, the BX-3000, also supports full bandwidth user services at per-sector throughputs of over 35 Mbps using MIMO technology. Each BX-3000 base station can handle up to three full sectors of maximum mobile WiMAX performance with SISO, MIMO, and beamforming. The BX-3000 architecture is based on a “virtual base station” concept, with a central Base Band Unit (BBU) that serves as a central “hub” for up to three remote outdoor-compatible RF units (RFUs), all connected via high-speed fiber optic cables. Each BX-3000 can support 1,000 users per sector, with up to three sectors configurable.
Mobile WiMAX, say proponents, can serve ten times more users at one-tenth the cost of 3G.
.gif)
