GENEVA-Chip supplier STMicroelectronics said it’s jumping into the WiMAX market with a new offering for WiMAX base stations. The company said it plans to bundle its STW51000 base-station modem system-on-a-chip with a full set of in-house software libraries, including 802.16e software for frequency division duplex and TDD modules.
Last month, the IEEE approved the WiMAX standard, 802.16e, which ushers in a nomadic phase of WiMAX where base stations can communicate with moving devices, allowing users to move around and maintain their broadband connection.
In other WiMAX news, Korean operator SK Telecom and WiMAX chipmaker Wavesat Inc. announced a multimillion-dollar agreement to jointly develop WiBro/OFDMA technology for mobile devices. WiMAX if often referred to as WiBro in Korea.
“This announcement, which highlights the invaluable partnership with SK Telecom, is the first in a series of announcements that describe our mobility strategy,” stated Vijay Dube, vice president of marketing and business development at Wavesat. “Wavesat’s strategy is to provide a distinct solution for each WiMAX market segment: from backhaul to DSL extension with 802.16-2004 fixed-OFDM solutions; to high-speed connectivity for laptop basic mobility with 802.16e OFDM Evolutive products; to full mobility with the upcoming 802.16e OFDMA UMobile product portfolio. Wavesat will continue to lead the market by offering its customers a full range of OFDM and WiBro/OFDMA solutions covering all their needs as well as firming up their long term business model. The agreement with SKT puts us in a very strong position to complement our solid market base and rapidly capture the emerging basic and full mobility multimedia market.”
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
