Simply incredible
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Intel is leading the charge with dual platform '4G' wireless
CHIPMAKER Intel is pushing for a dual-platform '4G' wireless networking strategy that will see LTE and WiMAX working side by side, with other companies set to follow suit.
According to a report by ABI Research, Intel will lead the way in terms of heterogeneous wireless networks. This means that companies will support both LTE and WiMAX, despite LTE being the clear winner as far as many are concerned.
Intel was a big advocate of WiMAX from day one, but it has shifted its approach as WiMAX lost ground to LTE. Now it is focusing its efforts on LTE and as recently as yesterday it acquired LTE company Sysdsoft. It is not completely abandoning WiMAX, however, and this is where the idea of supporting dual platform approaches comes in.
ABI Research believes that many others will follow in Intel's footsteps, including Sprint, Clearwire, KDDI, its subsidiary UQ Communications and KT. A key benefit for mobile operators in using both standards is access to additional spectrum, which will expand network capacity.
Alvarion, Huawei, NEC, NSN, Samsuing and ZTE are also supporting both technologies in multi-standard base stations.
If that is not enough, multi-mode 4G chipsets are expected to hit the market, allowing devices to switch between LTE and WiMAX. Beceem, which was acquired by Broadcom, is working on this technology, while Sequans is also planning similar chipsets. Intel is likely to join them, as it already has multi-mode chipsets for WiMAX and WiFi. µ
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LTE specs are finalized and chips can be produced.
Wimax-wave-2 specs are to be finalized till mid-2011 and then chip makers can build something.
Wimax-wave-2 to me superior to LTE.
I see data only protocol (Wimax) superior to voice-only with data bolted on (LTE) to save bread and butter of voice only services after all "telecom" word is heridatory to voice.
Wimax was embraced by poor countries and middleeast so their is genuinely a hatered factor to progress them at 4G.
This INQ's last para of dual mode is the bull's eye. but add one thing... GSM call should not disconnect when i have Wimax/LTE radio connected.
Which flavor of LTE ? FDD or TDD ?
TDD would make the most sense from a technology perspective (same scheme as for WiFi & WiMAX and it is TDD based WiMAX that Sprint/Clearwire is rolling out).
However, the rest of the world is aiming for FDD (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile USA, the European operators like Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange, etc.).
The other main deployment planned for TDD-LTE is in China (China Mobile), but they have no WiMAX there and instead want dual mode TDD-SCDMA (their 3G TDD based standard)and TDD-LTE. So no interest there for an Intel WiMAX/LTE chip set.