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Spain sprouts WiMAX
network
Other Topics: Cisco Doubts WiMAX,
First UK WiMAX
Alvarion
November 16, 2004
Europe appears to be fertile ground for new WiMax networks. Spain is
the latest country to embrace the emerging high-end broadband wireless
technology, following recent deployments in France, Ireland and the
U.K. Spanish wireless operator Iberbanda SA has begun to install WiMax
systems supplied by Alvarion Ltd., according to Bridget Fishleigh, a
spokeswoman for the Tel Aviv, Israel, manufacturer. |
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"Iberbanda has been using proprietary wireless local loop technology
from Alvarion since 2001 but has now decided to expand its growing
network in Spain with WiMax," Fishleigh said Tuesday.
WiMax technology, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Inc.'s 802.16 standard, can provide broadband wireless over
longer distances and at higher speeds than current Wi-Fi systems. Its
access range is up to about 48 kilometers, compared to Wi-Fi's 90
meters. It supports data transmission speeds up to 70M bps (bits per
second), compared to the popular Wi-Fi 802.11b standard's 11M bps or
Wi-Fi 802.11a's 54M bps.
The WiMax Forum, established in 2001 by a number of industry
heavyweights, has been working on standards certification and
interoperability testing. The first generation WiMax systems, based on
the 802.16-2004 standard, are expected to be certified by the middle
of next year.
Alvarion is a founding member of the WiMax Forum.
Numerous operators, including Iberbanda, plan to deploy WiMax mostly
in rural areas, where high-speed cable infrastructure is either poor
or nonexistent.
Iberbanda is targeting small and medium-size enterprises and
residential customers in Andalusia, Spain's second largest and most
highly populated region, and Catalonia.
Alvarion's customer premises equipment currently costs around US$200 a
unit, but the company expects the price to drop below $50 when new
chips from Intel Corp. become available, Fishleigh said. |
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