October 14, 2008: LTE-WiMAX gap smaller than previously thought?

Columnist Gary Kim is stirring the pot over at TMCnet this week with a provocative piece that examines whether the gap between WiMAX commercialization and LTE commercialization is really as long as previously thought. Kim cites various undisclosed sources and predicts that "an increasing number of operators are looking to roll out LTE as early as end-2009 in order to mitigate [the] issues on their existing 3G networks." Xohm just launched last month and LTE is already one year away?

 

In other news, reports are circulating that Russian WiMAX operator Scartel is the first operator to make use of a WiMAX-enabled mobile handset made by HTC. While reports of the HTC device have yet to be confirmed, Sequans announced at WiMAX World in Chicago earlier this month that Scartel will use its system on chip (SOC) in several devices, including a smartphone. Check out this Unstrung report for more on the rumored device.

 

Our weekly columnist, Caroline Gabriel from Rethink Research analyzed Nortel's recent move to expand its WiMAX ecosystem to include a whole slew of diverse, new partners. New entrants include IBM, core networking specialist WiChorus, Quanta Computer and Accton Wireless Broadband. "Between them, and with the addition of a group of device makers, Nortel says it will offer an end-to-end platform, and that this best of breed approach - with the key supplier not actually providing the hardware - represents a blueprint for next generation networks, that many will emulate," Gabriel writes. Read more here.