Intel Introduces WiMAX System-On-Chip Solution; Carriers To Begin Trials Soon
Santa Clara, CA -- Intel Corporation today announced the availability of its first WiMAX product, the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface device. In addition, several service providers worldwide announced plans to begin commercial WiMAX trials based on Intel silicon products later this year. Key equipment providers also announced WiMAX solutions based on Intel's product.
"As a standards-based, high-speed Internet access solution, WiMAX can provide the platform for the next generation of Internet expansion, connecting the next billion Internet users," said Scott Richardson, general manager of Intel's Broadband Wireless Division. "In addition to delivering the first flexible, highly integrated WiMAX system-on-chip, Intel has worked with a number of parties, including carriers and equipment manufacturers, to prepare the industry for the next wave of wireless technology."
Previously codenamed "Rosedale," the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface device is based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard, giving carriers and end-users the confidence that equipment from different vendors will work together. WiMAX solutions based on 802.16-2004 enable the creation of high-speed, fixed wireless broadband networks, providing Internet connectivity, Internet Protocol (IP), and TDM Voice capabilities and IP-based real-time video at high speeds.
According to Intel, the PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface is the first 802.16-2004 system-on-chip optimized for cost-effective WiMAX modems and residential gateways. These units may be placed in either homes or businesses to receive and transmit a wireless broadband signal.
The product is designed with a high level of integration to streamline the development process and reduce costs for equipment manufacturers. It also offers a programmable architecture that makes it easier for equipment manufacturers to add applications on top of the standards-based Intel solution.
To bring WiMAX connectivity to a broader audience, the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface enables both outdoor WiMAX products as well as new indoor solutions, such as self-installable WiMAX modems and residential gateways.
Some of the carriers working with Intel to enable a broad ecosystem around WiMAX include: AT&T (US), Altitude Telecom (France), BT (UK), Brasil Telecom (Brazil), ETB (Columbia), Iberbanda (Spain), Millicom (Argentina), Qwest (US), Sify (India), Speakeasy (US), Telkom (South Africa), Telmex (Mexico), TowerStream (US), and UHT (Ukraine).
In addition, equipment manufacturers have announced their own products based on the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface, including Airspan, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Axxcelera Broadband Wireless, Gemtek, Huawei, Proxim Corporation, Redline Communications, Siemens Mobile, SR Telecom, and ZTE. With the delivery of the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface, these vendors expect to participate in upcoming certification testing by the WiMAX Forum, an industry group chartered to test and certify interoperability among WiMAX products from different manufacturers.
Source: Intel