Mobile Internet access solutions company RemotePipes Inc. announced it has formed an alliance focused on roaming and interoperability mechanisms for networks based on the 802.16 WiMAX specifications.
The WiMAX Global Roaming Alliance targets commercial entities, state and city governments, wireless Internet service providers and equipment manufacturers, said the company. Membership is currently free to qualified candidates.
Doug Bonestroo, chief executive officer of the company, added, “We realize that the larger telecom providers have a virtual lock on the EV-based 3G marketplace, and that the best way to counter that leverage is with a large group of partners in the U.S. and around the world that are committed to standards-based WiMAX roaming. We will welcome any carriers that want to join the effort, but unlike industry groups striving to make WiMAX appear complementary to 3G, we will continue to view it as a directly competitive offering.”
“We know that there are hundreds of local and regional network operators, who along with equipment suppliers and carriers around the world are going to want to be a part of our WiMAX Global Roaming Alliance (WGRA),” said Eric Engbers, president of RemotePipes and chairman of the alliance. “With this announcement we are opening our arms to the wireless broadband sector and saying that together we can develop consensus and organize uniform, consistent, standards-based network implementations as a proper foundation for a best-of-breed roaming experience for users. By addressing these needs early in the WiMAX lifecycle, we can hopefully eliminate the substantial burdens experienced when other solutions have transitioned to being roaming enabled.”
