WiMAX Forum Announces First WiMAX Forum Certified Products

San Jose, CA -- The WiMAX Forum, an industry-led, non-profit corporation formed to promote and certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products, announced the first fixed wireless broadband network products to achieve the designation of WiMAX Forum Certified. At the WCA Technical and Business Symposium in San Jose, the WiMAX Forum revealed the first companies and products to complete certification and interoperability testing, including Aperto Networks' PacketMAX 5000 base station, Redline Communications' RedMAX AN-100U base station, SEQUANS Communications' SQN2010 SoC base station solution, and Wavesat's miniMAX customer premise equipment (CPE) solution.

To date, the WiMAX Forum's certification laboratory, Cetecom Spain, has confirmed 26 additional reservations from manufacturers for testing slots for both subscriber and base station equipment certification. In order to handle this additional capacity, Cetecom already has set up multiple test lines for testing and certification for these products - a process that will continue over the next two months.

The first round of WiMAX Forum Certified products were developed according to the WiMAX Forum-defined certification profile for 3.5 GHz systems, which is based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 and ETSI HiperMAN standards. Each hardware system was required to pass stringent and extensive test procedures, consisting of protocol conformance, radio conformance and interoperability testing in order to attain the WiMAX Forum Certification seal.

"The achievement of Certification is a result of the successful collaboration of our Certification Working Group, ETSI, Cetecom Spain and WiMAX system suppliers," said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum. "Through an expanded and rigorous conformance and interoperability testing in our certification program, we believe there are more robust fixed WiMAX systems coming to market than what was originally expected."

"The first availability of fixed WiMAX equipment demonstrates the commitment of the Forum, the vendors and the providers to reaching their critical milestones," said Lindsay Schroth, senior analyst of broadband access technologies at the Yankee Group. "This is a crucial step in the process of developing and certifying both fixed and mobile WiMAX networks. We expect this announcement to impact the deployment time tables of large and small service providers around the world that will use fixed WiMAX networks as a way to deliver true broadband services to consumers and business users."

In July 2005, WiMAX Forum opened its first certification lab, operated by Cetecom, and began receiving WiMAX equipment and started the test procedure validation process. While validation was underway, the WiMAX Forum hosted two PlugFests - informal interoperability events conducted between multiple vendors. Both PlugFests tested vendor products using common certification profiles approved by the WiMAX Forum in the 3.5 GHz frequency band.

"With more than 150 commercial trials and deployments of fixed WiMAX networks announced to date, it is clear there is tremendous confidence placed in these systems by operators around the globe," added Resnick. "As an organization comprising nearly 400 member companies and overseeing a range of activities that span the globe, the WiMAX Forum now has added operations and marketing directors - along with a staff of project managers - to ensure that we meet the needs of our membership and achieve our stated goals for 2006 and beyond."

SOURCE: The WiMAX Forum