Nortel, Toshiba And WiMAX Firms Work On Interoperability

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More than 30 wireless equipment companies in Spain this week are testing advanced signal processing technology for next-generation smart antennas.

By W. David Gardner
InformationWeek
May 18, 2007 12:54 PM

In an early example of firms solving the nagging problem of WiMAX interoperability, Nortel and Toshiba Corp. reported Friday that they will offer mobile WiMAX base stations for Japanese and global markets.

Based on Nortel's next generation broadband wireless technology and Toshiba's amplifier and miniaturization technology, the base stations' radio module will be built by Toshiba.

WiMAX, the wide area wireless technology is being deployed globally, but most providers are still working to solve interoperability challenges. The WiMAX Forum this week convened 33 companies in a Mobile PlugFest in Spain as efforts to hammer out interoperability issues are being worked out across the world.

"As more and more companies enter the WiMAX space, we will continue to offer those companies a way to ensure that their products are interoperable and will provide their customers the best WiMAX experience possible," said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum.

The gathering in Spain concludes Saturday, but non-disclosure agreements among the 33 participating firms all but rule out any immediate news of successful results by participants. WiMAX Forum officials said the event in Spain is the first that will test MIMO and a signal processing technology knows as beamforming for smart antennas.

Nortel and Toshiba have had a head start in developing the technology because they have been working closely on it for several months. The firms expect to roll out their base stations initially in Japan.

"As Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications works to standardize ultra-broadband wireless technologies for the domestic market," said Nick Vreugdenhil, president, Japan, Nortel, in a statement, "We will be ready to respond to the needs of the Japanese market and extend the benefits of this joint development alliance to other markets around the globe."

Nortel noted that it has worked on OFDM/MIMO (orthogonal frequency division modulation/ multiple-input multiple-output) for nearly a decade, conducting WiMAX trials in countries ranging from the U.S. and Australia to Taiwan and, Russia, the Dominican Republic, and other nations. Toshiba's wireless expertise has primarily been centered in Japan.