ATLANTA—BellSouth Corp. chose Alcatel Inc.’s Evolium mobile WiMAX technology portfolio for testing in its lab next quarter, saying it plans to “assess the viability of offering a simple and seamless WiMAX solution that will extend broadband even further into our network.”
BellSouth already offers commercial service using pre-WiMAX gear, but the upcoming lab trials will test the IEEE’s newly ratified WiMAX 802.16e standard in the 2.3 GHz spectrum band.
“We are committed to increasing our broadband coverage,” stated Paulino Barros, chief product officer of BellSouth Retail Markets.
BellSouth did not specify when and where it might deploy 802.16e-based WiMAX technology, but Alcatel pointed out that its solution offers carriers a strategic value, supporting fixed, nomadic and mobile usage. The company boasted: “This trial with BellSouth is a significant indication that our customers agree—universal WiMAX is ready for the market, and the market is ready for universal WiMAX.”
The race among infrastructure vendors to score mobile WiMAX contracts with carriers is intense since research and development of the technology has demanded considerable amounts of both time and money.
