By Haig Sarkissian, WiMAX20/20

Broad adoption of WiMAX networks and the fulfillment of the WiMAX "vision" greatly depend on the proliferation of WiMAX chipsets into battery operated mobile devices, including handsets, ultra mobile PCs and a variety of consumer electronic devices.  One gating factor had been the power consumption of the WiMAX subsystem which puts a drain on batteries.  The WiMAX chipset ecosystem has made great strides in this area.  But have they met the "low power bar" necessary for wide adoption of WiMAX into mobile devices? 

Trendsmedia, the organizers of the WiMAX World 2008 show, which took place in Chicago, USA on September 30 through October 2nd 2008 wanted to find out.  WiMAX20/20, a leading WiMAX consultancy was recruited to organize the WiMAX Live - Low Power CPE Chipset Shootout.  A first in the WiMAX industry, this session gave an opportunity to WiMAX chipset vendors to show live measurements of their low power solutions and explain how they are meeting the low power challenge.  Among the merchant chipset vendors that were invited to the shootout were Altair, Beceem, Comsys, GCT, Intel, NextWave, Runcom, Sequans, and WaveSAT. 

One of the most promising markets for WiMAX, especially from 2010, is as a data overlay for GSM operators, in areas where there are no 3G licenses as yet, or where 3G will not be cost effective. Phonemaker HTC is pointing the way, unveiling a GSM/802.16e dual-mode device that will initially be offered by Russian operator Scartel, which has an ambitious 2.5GHz build-out program, starting in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Operating under the brand name Yota, Scartel has carried out trials, using Samsung infrastructure, in the two major cities, and says it will go commercial by year end, having built out 1,600 base stations at a cost of $200m by then. Emulating Sprint's Xohm launch, it says it is essential to offer a range of mobile broadband terminals from day one, to encourage high value customers such as business travellers - and these will make roll-out of fixed services, especially in more rural areas, a more viable proposition.