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WiMAX
Forum Selects Cetecom Spain to Begin Certification Testing in July
2005
Test Lab to Facilitate Availability of WiMAX Forum Certified[tm]
Products Worldwide
January 24, 2005 The WiMAX Forum(tm) has selected its standardization
test lab and announces a certification roadmap that marks July 2005 for
the launch of the WiMAX Forum Certified(tm) program.
The WiMAX Forum selected Cetecom Spain as its official certification
laboratory, achieving a critical milestone toward enabling the
commercial availability of WiMAX Forum Certified(tm) products. Acting as
an independent body, Cetecom will test and certify WiMAX Forum member
companies' products to ensure they meet WiMAX Forum conformance and
interoperability standards.
"Since January 2003, the WiMAX Forum has been committed to driving
growth and innovation in broadband wireless access through industry
standards," said WiMAX Forum President Ron Resnick. "Preparation of the
test lab is the last step in the process before we begin accepting
equipment for certification. The lion's share of work has been done - we
are in the home stretch."
The selection of Cetecom is the culmination of a rigorous 12-month
review process by the WiMAX Forum. Cetecom was chosen for its extensive
range of testing and compliance services, which includes experience in
wireless technologies such as GSM/GPRS, EDGE, W-CDMA, Wi-Fi(r) and
Bluetooth(r). Headquartered in Spain, Cetecom has affiliate regional
labs which will allow WiMAX Forum members worldwide to easily access the
testing facilities.
"Cetecom Spain is proud to have been selected by the WiMAX Forum as the
official certification lab for WiMAX products," said Fernando Hardasmal,
Cetecom Spain's deputy general manager. "We are working diligently with
the WiMAX Forum to implement the test profiles for IEEE 802.16-2004 so
that we can begin accepting vendor equipment in July."
Vendor equipment will undergo extensive testing by Cetecom to ensure it
conforms to WiMAX profiles and the IEEE 802.16-2004 and ETSI HiperMAN
standard and that it is interoperable with other WiMAX Forum Certified
equipment. Certified products are critical to the ubiquitous deployment
of broadband wireless access because they enable a mass market by
driving price and performance to levels unachievable with proprietary
equipment.
"The WiMAX Forum has set the foundation for broadband wireless
technology to succeed in the global marketplace," said Yankee Group
Senior Analyst Lindsay Schroth. "When you consider all of the elements
involved with creating a standards-based certification program, the
WiMAX Forum has done a great job of pulling them all together."
The WiMAX Forum has gained significant momentum over the past two years,
particularly in the last nine months when the organization set mid-2005
as the target date for launching the WiMAX Forum Certified program.
Since that time, WiMAX Forum profiles were selected, the IEEE
802.16-2004 standard was completed and silicon manufacturers began
sampling their products.
"As an industry association, our role is to drive standardization and
certification - we do not launch products or build networks. But based
on what we are hearing from our member companies, we believe service
provider lab trials could begin in the third quarter of 2005, followed
by commercial trials in the fourth quarter. We are optimistic that
networks could be commercially deployed by the first quarter of 2006,"
said Resnick.
The WiMAX Forum has more than 230 members, representing the entire
ecosystem of companies necessary for bringing WiMAX Forum Certified(tm)
products to market, including equipment manufacturers, operators, system
integrators, silicon and component makers, and application providers.
For a complete list of current members, visit www.WiMAXForum.org.
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