WiMAX Pavilion at TelEXPO 2005 March 1-4 in Saõ Paulo, Brazil
Reflecting the potential for WiMAX to provide economical broadband data and voice services to developing countries throughout Central and South America, the WiMAX Forum™ will host its first-ever WiMAX Pavilion at TelEXPO 2005 March 1-4 in Saõ Paulo, Brazil. Representing the WiMAX Forum’s first entry into the region, the purpose of the WiMAX Pavilion is to educate Latin American operators and regulators about the technology and how it can be used to quickly and economically deliver much-needed broadband access to areas that are currently underserved.
“Because TelEXPO is one of the most significant events in Latin America, it is an ideal venue for the WiMAX Forum to reach out and educate the market on the promise of WiMAX to help deliver broadband to areas where it currently is either unavailable or too costly for many residents and businesses,” said Dr. Mohammad Shakouri, vice president and board member of the WiMAX Forum. “There is so much excitement about WiMAX in the marketplace today and we want Latin American service providers, network operators and regulators to become more engaged in our activities so they have a chance to provide input, ensuring their specific market needs are supported.”
Six WiMAX Forum member companies will exhibit along with the WiMAX Forum in the WiMAX Pavilion at TelEXPO, which will feature live presentations twice daily. Hour-long presentations will be featured at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily and will be given by participating member companies and by the WiMAX Forum. The WiMAX Pavilion will be located in the Blue Hall (Pavilho Azul), booths C22, 24, 28 and 30, and will feature the exhibits of Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Navini Networks, Redline Communications, SR Telecom and Telecis Wireless.
In addition to the presentations in the WiMAX Pavilion, Dr. Shakouri will present “WiMAX Demystified,” during a panel discussion titled “Wireless Broadband Access is Real” at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1 (Session T04 in Room 3). During this presentation, Dr. Shakouri will provide an overview of the standardization and certification process and will discuss the role of WiMAX in broadband data and voice, the evolutionary roadmap of the technology from fixed to mobile, regulatory issues and the business case for WiMAX.
WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile broadband wireless access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed, nomadic, portable and, eventually, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a typical cell radius deployment of three to 10 kilometers, WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 20 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications. This is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity.
Through WiMAX Forum-led efforts, the economies of scale made possible by standards-based, interoperable products will drive price and performance levels unachievable by proprietary approaches. As a result, service providers worldwide will be able to deliver economical broadband data, voice and video services to both residential and business customers. In January, the WiMAX Forum announced it will begin accepting vendor equipment for certification through independent lab testing in July of 2005.
The WiMAX Forum has more than 230 members, representing the entire ecosystem of companies necessary for bringing WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) products to market, including equipment manufacturers, operators, system integrators, silicon and component makers, and application providers. For a complete list of current members, visit www.WiMAXForum.org.