Mobile WiMAX to get an early speed boost

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 08 April 2010 15:23

Business IT - Networking

The WiMAX Forum has announced plans to bring forward feature upgrades to the mobile WiMAX standard that will improve throughput, particularly at the fringes of cell sites.

The Forum, a global industry body set up to promote technology based on the IEEE 802.16e 'mobile' WiMAX standard and to certify products for conformance, says the enhancements will double peak data rates and increase average and cell-edge end-user performance by 50 percent. Certified products incorporating these enhancements are expected by late 2010.

This will be good news for Seven Network subsidiary vividwireless, which has just launched a mobile WiMAX network in Perth and which has plans for similar networks in other capital cities. It aims to compete with both fixed ADSL services and rapidly improving performance and economics of 3G HSPA mobile broadband services.

The Forum says its move to bring forward performance upgrades is in response to the intensifying demand for mobile WiMAX networks and services. "WiMAX operators are providing an unprecedented amount of data, with some networks delivering over 10 gigabytes per month to the average user."

"Even without dramatic growth in average customer demand, successful expansion of the customer base can threaten network overload. The WiMAX Forum has recognised operator needs for more advanced technologies to future-proof their networks in the face of these inexorable trends."

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