I have been following this dialogue with interest. (I'm at a trade event currently, so my response time is limited. I'll offer a fuller post once the event is complete.) Regarding the plugfest tests, there is no reason for the WiMAX Forum to wait until availability of the Intel chip. Remember that vendors like us have been building our own ASIC for this for years and there are other chipset vendors such as Fujitsu and Wavesat. To be sure Intel is the leading driver, but the absence of their chipset does not preclude testing for conformance to WiMAX Forum(tm) chosen profiles. The early entrants in the plugfests will be those who have been working on their own, creating internally developed systems. Once the Intel chipsets are there though, that will dramatically accelerate the number of firms able to offer products (maily CPEs).
Also, while 802.16a is complete, by itself it offers no benefits with respect to assured interoperability and the subsequent cost reduction hoped resulting from the mass adoption. It is too broad a standard and too prone to marketing abuses. For example, one could have a 9GHz single carrier-based product that could be compliant with 802.16a. Such a product could actually be marketed as an 802.16a compliant product. But such a product could never be a WiMAX-certified(tm) product, nor could it ever hope to offer its buyers interoperability with other 802.16a products. In other words, it would be, in practical terms, a proprietary product eventhough it might be technically standards-compliant. That is why the "WiMAX-certified" label will be so important -- much more important than the Wi-Fi Alliance certification. Kind regards, Patrick Leary Assistant VP, Marketing Alvarion, Inc. ph. 760.517.3114 cell 760.580.0080 fax 760.517.3200 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Moebius [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 4:44 PM To: 'Glenn Fleishman' Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [BAWUG] Re: WiMAx and BreezeMax I believe the 802.16a standard is complete.. i.e. 3.5Ghz 802.16a silicon is shipping.. You can buy the Redline AN-100 and Alvarion BreezeMax systems in Europe.. so 802.16a is shipping, its just not the Intel chipset that is shipping, and of course the US hasn't allowed the 3.5Ghz band yet that the current silicon is built for so nobody has access to it here.. I would guess its not WiMax certified because they haven't done the lab shootout of different vendors equipment yet and are waiting for the intel chipset to do this.. -----Original Message----- From: Glenn Fleishman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 4:38 PM To: Moebius Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [BAWUG] Re: WiMAx and BreezeMax Moebius <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 6/21/04 at 4:33 PM wrote: >Also the Current Breezemax equipment doesn't use the Intel chipset.. You >don't have to do business with intel to be part of the WiMax community. That's part of the subtext here, surely. The Alvarion folks were waiting for Intel to pony up the WiMax chipset, and it's delayed until 2005. Intel can hardly carp about Alvarion selling equipment that Alvarion is committing to -- contractually, based on what I've heard -- to upgrade to WiMax certified standards no matter what it takes even if Intel wants to believe they control the WiMax mark, which they don't. I'll be curious whether the WiMax group actually issues standards for pre-WiMax labeling. Will they say "no, not at all, can't say, have to say 802.16a or nothing else" or will they allow claims if the company's put in writing a commitment to upgrade all software, firmware, and hardware (as necessary) to WiMax when it ships? -- Glenn Fleishman seattle . washington unsolicited pundit . glennf.com columnist . seattletimes.com/practicalmac daily wireless networking news . wifinetnews.com _______________________________________________ BAWUG's general wireless chat mailing list [unsubscribe] http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless This mail passed through mail.alvarion.com **************************************************************************** ******** This footnote confirms that this email message has been scanned by PineApp Mail-SeCure for the presence of malicious code, vandals & computer viruses. **************************************************************************** ******** _______________________________________________ BAWUG's general wireless chat mailing list [unsubscribe] http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
