ITU accepts WiMAX as 3G standard

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 05 June 2007 05:26

Business IT - Technology

Earlier this year the WiMAX Forum, in a new White Paper "WiMAX and IMT-2000",  said: "including IP-OFDMA (mobile WiMAX) within the IMT-2000 family of radio transmission technologies will put mobile WiMAX on a comparable worldwide footing with EV-DO, HSPA, and other recent and planned enhancements to 3G technology. This will offer operators an additional migration path to consider as they strive to add network capabilities to support a larger suite of value-added broadband services."

In its announcement of the outcomes of the Kyoto meeting the ITU said: "WP 8F has delivered a number of key recommendations and reports that update and expand the family of IMT-2000 radio interfaces, establish the foundation for IMT-Advanced, and call for additional spectrum for IMT. It has woven together a definition, a recipe, and a roadmap foreseeing the future beyond 3G that is comprised of a balance between a market and services view, a technology view, and a spectrum view. Along with regulatory aspects, these are the key elements for business success in the wireless industry, and ITU-R continues to deliver value to industry and government.

"Working under a mandate to address 'systems beyond 3G', WP 8F progressed from delivering an initial vision to establishing a name for the future (IMT-Advanced) and set out principles for the process of development of IMT-Advanced. These deliverables stimulated research and development activities worldwide, spawned ideas on potential technologies, and promoted views on spectrum required to address a rapidly growing wireless world."