Airspan Launches Its HiperMAX Base Station Platform for Fixed/Mobile WiMAX

Airspan Networks, Inc. has launched its HiperMAX Base Station portfolio, expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2006.

With the launch, Airspan introduces HiperMAX and HiperMAX-Micro in the 3.4-3.6GHz FDD, 3.6-3.7GHz TDD and 4.9GHz TDD frequency bands. The company will introduce additional frequencies in the near future in the 3.3-3.4GHz, 3.4-3.5GHz, and 3.5-3.6GHz TDD bands for HiperMAX, and early in the second half of 2007 will add the 2.5-2.7GHz band.

According to a company statement, with this latest addition to its WiMAX portfolio, Airspan now not only provides its customers with the most scalable WiMAX platform in the industry, but also one that will enable customers to seamlessly migrate from Fixed to Mobile services on the same platform via a software-only upgrade.

Airspan has already successfully tested the features and interoperability of HiperMAX extensively both with customers and as part of the recently announced 16e OFDMA Mobile WiMAX Forum Plugfest. The HiperMAX base station is based on an industry-leading design that uses a fully Software Defined Radio (SDR) that enables Network Operators to use the platform for either Mobile or Fixed WiMAX services. In another first for the broadband wireless industry, the dual MAC/PHY capability available on HiperMAX allows for simultaneous Mobile and Fixed operation from the same Baseband and Radio Transceiver hardware. These features are common to all HiperMAX products.

HiperMAX is available in both a single-channel micro outdoor packaging plus medium and large Indoor carrier-grade ATCA rack-mounted packages whose capacity and coverage can be expanded by the addition of WiMAX SDR Blades for deploying up to Hex-sectored fully redundant Macro cells. The availability of micro and expandable macro systems on one platform, coupled with Airspan's industry-leading WiMAX experience, will ensure that "right-sized" options, features and services are available for any WiMAX network operator regardless of its market and deployment needs according to the company.