WiMAX Forum Designates First North American Based Certification Lab

The WiMAX Forum announced the first, North America-based certification test lab today during the opening address at the WiMAX Forum Member Conference in Madrid. Established and operated by the WiMAX Forum's lead certification testing partner, AT4 wireless, Inc., the lab will be located in Virginia and is due to open this October. The North America-based lab becomes one of five test labs for WiMAX Forum Certified products worldwide."Establishing a WiMAX Forum designated test facility in North America is very important strategically because the WiMAX Forum and key Telecommunications Industry Forums are located in the U.S.," said Luis Fernando Martinez, general director of AT4 wireless. "We plan to quickly open a lab in the United States to support global certification testing for both Fixed and Mobile WiMAX devices."

The lab will initially be staffed by up to 25 - 30 employees and will conduct WiMAX Forum certification testing and radiated performance testing (RPT). AT4 wireless has the responsibility to develop and replicate the certification test beds to match other test beds globally so that interoperability for all WiMAX Forum Certified devices is assured. WiMAX Forum members in the Americas may submit devices for certification at the Virginia facility in October.

"A U.S.-based lab is important to help meet the needs of member companies as the demand for mobile certification testing increases in the U.S. market," said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum. "We have great confidence in AT4 wireless and know they will deliver the essential task of ensuring WiMAX Forum Certified products are interoperable and ready for commercial deployment."

In the future, the North America lab may provide capabilities to support the convergence of emerging wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi with WiMAX and Bluetooth with WiMAX.

The WiMAX Forum plans to have five certification test labs located in the U.S., Europe, China, Korea and Taiwan by end of 2007.