Canada’s Nortel is dramatically expanding its commitment to the burgeoning fixed and mobile WiMAX industry through new partnerships with Intel and Airspan Networks. Announcement of the new tie-ups, which augment an existing Nortel WiMAX/WiBro joint venture with South Korea ’s LG Electronics, comes as WiMAX trials and deployment schemes proliferate around the world.

Nortel and Intel say they will collaborate to promote deployment of mobile wireless broadband based on WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e). In addition Nortel will work with Airspan Networks to market and evolve WiMAX solutions in the higher frequency bands for implementations that do not require full mobility. These solutions will also be used to eliminate the need for wired T1/E1 or DSL circuits for wireless backhaul. The company is also continuing to work on the development of WiMAX/WiBro solutions based on the IEEE 802.16e standard though the LG-Nortel joint venture.

Nortel says it has contributed to the 802.16 standard by helping to develop underlying technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) for more than six years, and holds several key patents in these areas. In March 2004, the company completed a MIMO/OFDM laboratory demonstration of large data transfers with peak data rates at 37Mbits/s over a standard 5MHz PCS band under conditions found on real-world cellular networks.

Nortel's fixed WiMAX solutions are expected to be commercially available in Q1 2006. Its WiBro solutions are scheduled for commercial availability following 2005 field trial deployment in Asia with the LG-Nortel joint venture. Additional mobile WiMAX solutions are set to be commercially available following 2006 trials in North America .

"We will be a technology leader in WiMAX, just as we have been with UMTS/HSPDA, CDMA Voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless mesh", claims Mark Whitton, vice president and general manager, WiMAX and Wireless Mesh Networks, Nortel. "Nortel is an expert in all the foundation technologies for both wireless and broadband, something we believe no other company can match".

The Yankee Group for one attaches some importance to commitments to WiMAX by companies such as Nortel. "There is no denying the attraction of having automated broadband connectivity whenever and wherever you power up your laptop", remarks Phil Marshall, vice president, Wireless Mobile Technologies, Yankee Group. "Promising new technologies often fail, however, for lack of a viable business model or a weak value chain. Support of major networking companies like Nortel is a strong and positive sign that WiMAX intends to compete vigorously for its place in the industry".

Italy and Israel test WiMAX water…
Meantime, trials and demonstrations of WiMAX continue to multiply, notably in Europe . This week, for example, has seen the technology feature in new public pilots announced in Italy and Israel .

In the first, claimed to be the largest public trial of WiMAX to date, Marconi and Airspan are providing WiMAX connectivity in three locations in Italy 's Piedmont and Sicily regions following their selection as contractors by a working party that included representatives from the Italian Ministry of Communications, the Italian Ministry of Defence and the Ugo Bordoni Foundation. The last is co-ordinating the trial at a national level.

In Israel incumbent telco Bezeq has purchased and deployed a pilot using Alvarion WiMAX-ready equipment - the BreezeMAX 3500 - to provide broadband in the southern Israeli city of Rahat, an under-served community located in the Negev desert. This, the first WiMAX system in Israel , operates in the 3.5GHz range and is initially serving public institutions, such as schools and medical facilities, where the need for broadband is greatest.

Bezeq is currently developing plans to extend the network to other communities in southern Israel . "We are encouraged by the fact that spectrum was expressly allocated for this purpose and are optimistic about additional uses and more spectrum in 3.5GHz", notes Alvarion ceo Zvi Slonimsky.

…while Spain readies for commercial WiMAX
In Spain broadband operator Iberbanda is readying for commercial WiMAX service. The company carried out trials of the technology during July and August at 50 customer sites in Andalusia . These trials used Alvarion’s BreezeMAX kit which is based on the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface. A network of 300 base stations was used in the trials which involved some 20,000 subscribers. Following the successful conclusion of these trials Iberbanda plans to update the WiMAX-ready networks it has already deployed across 25% of Spain . Initial locations are likely to be in Andalusia , Catalonia , Castilla y Leon and Navarra. Iberbanda plans to offer customers telephony and broadband Internet access at speeds of up to 10Mbits/s at up to 30km distances. The new services are planned for launch in Q4 2005.

"The successful pilots helped us to optimise real commercial networks based on more than 300 base stations and covering more than 25% of the Spanish territory. We made a decisive step towards WiMAX standardisation, equipment and network interoperability and cost reductions in the deployment of new broadband networks", according to Carlos Morell, general manager of Iberbanda.

Show me the money…
And in another sign of the favour with which the technology is currently regarded, one leading WiMAX start-ups has successfully completed its next financing round.

Aperto Networks has raised US$17mn in the first tranche of a Series E financing round. The funding was led by Canaan Partners and was raised from existing investors, including JK&B Capital, Alliance Ventures, Innovacom, Tyco Ventures, Labrador Ventures, and Satwik Ventures. The latest round brings the company's total capitalisation to US$94mn. Aperto will use the new funds to expand its global market presence and to broaden its WiMAX solutions portfolio.
John Williamson and Ian Channing