Cisco quits WiMax radio business

WiMAX, meaning Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes, from point-to-multipoint links to portable and fully mobile internet access. The technology provides up to 10 Mbps broadband speed without the need for cables. The technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Broadband Wireless Access).

The bandwidth and range of WiMAX make it suitable for the following potential applications:

* Connecting Wi-Fi hotspots to the Internet.
* Providing a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for “last mile” broadband access.
* Providing data, telecommunications and IPTV services (triple play).
* Providing a source of Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan. That is, if a business has both a fixed and a wireless Internet connection, especially from unrelated providers, they are unlikely to be affected by the same service outage.
* Providing portable connectivity.

Quoting NetworkWorld.com:

Cisco Systems will stop developing and making WiMax base stations to concentrate on the IP (Internet Protocol) networks that sit behind them.

Cisco acquired Navini Networks, which made WiMax RAN (radio access network) equipment, in 2007. The dominant IP networking company said at the time that it saw a powerful opportunity to bring broadband Internet access to developing countries through WiMax.

However, despite hitting the market first, WiMax has taken a back seat to LTE (Long-Term Evolution) as a 4G (fourth-generation) mobile technology. LTE is backed by the industry body behind GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and is on the road maps of most major carriers that have chosen a 4G system. In the U.S., Verizon Wireless plans to launch LTE commercially this year and AT&T will follow next year.

Read the full article on NetworkWorld.com…

Cisco’s take on 4G

Cisco is predicting that the advent of 4G services will lead to an explosion of new video applications that will transform telecom service providers into what the company is dubbing “experience providers.”

Suraj Shetty, the vice president of marketing for the Cisco Worldwide Service Provider Marketing, said during an interview this week that companies’ investments in high-speed wireless broadband technologies such as WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE) will make high-definition video streaming widely available on both fixed and mobile devices. The upshot of this, he said, is that telecom providers will move more into the cable companies’ traditional territory by offering more comprehensive video services, while the cable companies will offer improved voice and Internet options that will put them in position to better compete with the telcos.

“One thing that has been very clear from day one is that you could deliver high-definition video over a fiber or a DSL connection but it was never possible to deliver it over the air,” he said. “But when 4G comes along, whether it’s WiMAX or LTE, it opens up that possibility.”

Read the full article on NetworkWorld.com

Cisco makes the case for WiMAX at Mobile World Congress

Cisco WiMAXThere is a big buzz at Mobile World Congress this year around Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio area networks. This is a radio access technology which Cisco fully supports and which promises to bring much greater speed and bandwidth to mobile networks.

Hang on, though. This is pretty much what was promised with WiMAX last year. So what has happened to 2008’s great hope for high-speed mobile access?

To help clarify the issue, Brett Galloway, Senior Vice President for the Wireless and Security Technology Group at Cisco sat in on a round table hosted by Intel. And the answer, it would seem, is that both have a bright future—although possibly not at the same time.

According to the panel, LTE is still about five years away from production deployment.

Read the full post on blogs.cisco.com…