In brief: WiMax Forum set to validate certification testing

The WiMax Forum this week should finish validating its system for certification testing, a senior official says, referring to the latest milestone on the road to a broadband fixed wireless technology that at times has suffered from overly optimistic expectations.

Some vendors already have products at the Cetecom lab in Malaga, Spain, where certification will take place, but the past few weeks have been taken up by validating the test scripts and equipment, along with informal testing, says Gordon Antonello, senior technical advisor at Wi-LAN and chairman of the WiMax Forum Technical Working Group.

 The forum expects formal testing to begin in October and it hopes to have the first products certified before year-end. The form of WiMax heading into testing now is based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 specification and designed for services to fixed clients. Key applications are expected to be wireless network backhaul and alternatives to DSL and cable modem services. The standard for mobile WiMax, called IEEE 802.16e, should be completed by November, according to Antonello.

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The WiMax Forum this week should finish validating its system for certification testing, a senior official says, referring to the latest milestone on the road to a broadband fixed wireless technology that at times has suffered from overly optimistic expectations.

Some vendors already have products at the Cetecom lab in Malaga, Spain, where certification will take place, but the past few weeks have been taken up by validating the test scripts and equipment, along with informal testing, says Gordon Antonello, senior technical advisor at Wi-LAN and chairman of the WiMax Forum Technical Working Group.

 The forum expects formal testing to begin in October and it hopes to have the first products certified before year-end. The form of WiMax heading into testing now is based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 specification and designed for services to fixed clients. Key applications are expected to be wireless network backhaul and alternatives to DSL and cable modem services. The standard for mobile WiMax, called IEEE 802.16e, should be completed by November, according to Antonello.

Sprint last week announced its Precision Locator service, which is designed to help businesses track fleets and mobile workers. The Web-based application service lets fleet or mobile worker supervisors zoom in on maps that show where workers are located, includes reporting and scheduling tools, and enables text messaging.

The offering starts at $20 per user, per month. The service requires GPS-enabled phones with wireless service on Sprint's network.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.