WiMAX leader plans to reinforce its success at AfricaCom

As stakeholders from across the telecommunications value chain prepare to descend on Cape Town for AfricaCom 2008, Rick Rogers, Director of Alvarion, an international WiMAX market leader, tells us why he expects WiMAX will hold centre stage at this year’s event.

Alvarion has participated in AfricaCom for the last five years because, Rogers says, it is an important opportunity to keep your finger on the pulse of what is really happening in the African telecoms market. The show, which is in its eleventh year, last year attracted some 3 000 top-level speakers, delegates, visitors and exhibitors.

Alvarion has remained at the forefront of the WiMAX market, driving Mobile WiMAX forward with its WiMAX portfolio and OPEN WiMAX approach. Rogers cites the key to this success as the company’s ability to always stay ahead by delivering the most advanced radio technologies and platforms, which remain at the heart of wireless broadband and mobile networks.

During the first quarter of 2008, the company unveiled its SentieM technologies, which surpass the Mobile WiMAX basic technologies and provide better coverage, capacity and throughput per user to operators using the company’s IEEE 802.16e 4Motion solution. SentieM includes Advanced Antenna technologies, such as MIMO and BF, and Radio Resource technologies, in addition to Distributed Network capabilities, improving the economics for operators and the quality of service for subscribers.

In terms of market direction, Alvarion sees a great amount of momentum with the entire ecosystem gearing up for certification. With wave two of WiMAX Forum certification imminent, there will be a tremendous amount of WiMAX momentum in delivering personal broadband services and devices for the global, mass market, Rogers says. Equally important to that momentum are the planned spectrum allocations in key regions, and the commercial availability of WiMAX-enabled devices.

WiMAX has a two-year lead on LTE and this time-to-market advantage poses an opportunity for the WiMAX ecosystem to proliferate-certified devices and for operators to begin delivering true mobile broadband services and take a leading position in the market. At some point, the two mobile broadband standards might co-exist, but at this point Alvarion and its partners are squarely focused on the opportunity to meet current demands for broadband and the near-term opportunity to take Mobile WiMAX to a broad consumer scale.

“We once again expect to enjoy a successful participation in AfricaCom, and invite all those interested in learning more about the benefits of WiMAX and what the future holds, to talk to the Alvarion experts on hand,” Rogers concludes.

AfricaCom 2008 takes place at Cape Town Convention Centre on November 18 and 19. Attendees not only get access to a high-end conference, but a co-located exhibition featuring a vast range of products and services, together with networking groups, demonstrations and over 10 hours of free educational seminar content. AfricaCom will inform and educate, as well as provide the perfect platform for creating and developing profitable business relationships.