With today's launch, NEC introduces the first WiMAX BWA system based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard also compliant with WiMAX Forum's Wave-2 System Profile for fixed and mobile broadband access services. Suited for operation on Sub-11GHz licensed bands, and its enhanced Physical Layer and mobility extension, QoS support brings carriers better business feasibility.
NEC's latest standards-based Mobile WiMAX solution includes Wave-2 System Profile features to provide enhanced system performance when compared to previous 802.16-2004 and Wave-1 System Profile standard solutions. This new standard addresses mobility extensions for future operator growth and enhanced coverage through embedded enhancements in the standard -- which delivers better uplink capabilities, enabling NEC to deliver "true broadband" and improved "indoor NLOS coverage."
In addition, NEC Mobile WiMAX Air Interface adopts MIMO and Beam Forming techniques to further improve the transmission capacity of the radio system; enabling greater mobility and throughput capacity for users.
With outstanding performance and features, NEC helps carriers minimize CAPEX/OPEX by maximizing the carrier investment through the system's flexibility and low latency design. This enables multi-service provisioning for data, voice, and video at an optimum quality. The added mobility features in the new standard support both mobile telecommunication services as well as enhance the coverage and spectrum efficiency in fixed deployments.
"We believe that many fixed operators are facing strict competition and a declining number of subscribers due to the penetration of mobile services," said Tadatoshi Fujiwara, general manager, Mobile Network Solutions Division, NEC Corporation. "NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution can operate as a countermeasure acting as the gear to expand fixed broadband data services to mobile platforms. In this case, NEC's Mobile WiMAX system can be used to add broadband data service in mobility to enhance competitiveness against the mobile incumbents."
Initially NEC intends to deliver WiMAX for broadband Internet connections to customers through digital waves that provide connections between direct fixed and mobile subscribers as well as backhaul networks for WLAN hotspots. The technology can allow users to build reliable WMAN networks covering wider area than Wi-Fi hot spots using licensed frequency bands.
NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution can be introduced either as a full mobile capable platform from the beginning or in a multi-phased approach starting from a fixed broadband access service to complement xDSL and FTTx systems. It can also serve as an alternative access method for new carriers, that can migrate in the future to a full mobility platform - in order to allow roaming between base stations, laptops, PDA users and mobile handsets, portable entertainment players and game terminals - using the same Base Station hardware. Operators can optimize their investment by applying this multi-phased approach and by adjusting to their system capability and service. NEC Mobile WiMAX can also serve as a viable alternative technology for high-speed data mobile service for non-3G licensed carriers and can complement nationwide wireless 3G services.
For those operators that may not need advanced mobility from day one, NEC's WiMAX solution provides a smooth migration path to add mobility and inter-system handoff, when needed. This provides operators and carriers the future opportunity to integrate mobile communication business into their portfolios, and to expand the access service to applications supporting communications within public transportation, mobile office applications, machine-to-machine communications, and social infrastructure to support radio tags and telematics.
One of the key benefits to the NEC Mobile WiMAX system is the capability to make a smooth migration to mobile services. The level of mobility can be adjusted from Nomadic, Simple Mobility, and Full Mobility based on an operator's business scenario and budget.
Outside of North America, NEC's Mobile WiMAX solution is adding value to existent 3G networks by complementing existent carrier network in order to provide broadband data services as an add-on service to carriers with special mobility requirements demanding high throughput data services.
"The network trend is moving towards fixed and mobile convergence, which drives rapid integration of different technologies and systems on to a single network platform," said Tsuneyoshi Miura, vice president, Radio Communications Systems Division of NEC Corporation of America. "NEC's goal is to achieve ubiquitous network coverage combining various access means, wired or wireless, all seamlessly interconnected and controlled by the IP network layer. As a total network solution provider, NEC's Mobile WiMAX system will integrate the powerful wireless access systems into the core; introducing application business platforms and personal terminal solutions that enables NEC's to deliver a full package for operators to strengthen their revenue streams."
