WiMAX 2: 330 megabits per second for on the go
Samsung demonstrates the next generation of the 4G cellular standard
The WiMAX mobile broadband standard has long since become obsolete as an LTE competitor. This is underlined by the electronics group Samsung and the Japanese mobile operator UQ Communications http://www.uqwimax.jp/english as part of the IT and telecommunications trade fair CEATEC 2010 http://www.ceatec.com. In a live demonstration, the companies will be showing "WiMAX 2" with full HD 3D streams. Download rates of up to 330 megabits per second (Mbps) are made possible.
It remains to be seen whether such speeds will actually be achieved in commercial use. "Even WiMAX achieves good laboratory values that real networks cannot really match," says Telekom expert Jürgen Kaack, head of the STZ Consulting Group http://www.stz-consulting.de, in conversation with pressetext. In any case, Samsung plans to offer suitable equipment for the next generation of 2011G technology commercially at the end of 4.
HD demonstration
UQ Communications and Samsung rely entirely on high definition for their CEATEC demonstration. With a WiMAX-2 test system, full HD videos in 3D and 16 full HD videos are streamed simultaneously. This should show how well the standard is suited to meeting the growing demand for mobile broadband. If the WiMAX-2 standard is passed as planned in November of this year, the theoretically possible download rate of up to 330 Mbps will be in a range comparable to LTE. It remains to be seen which technology comes closer to the respective peak values in practice.
Regional importance
The market position of WiMAX is unlikely to affect the second generation. "The WiMAX technology is not bad and will continue to be successful in some markets," says Kaack. Especially in Eastern Europe, North Africa and Asia, the technology also has opportunities as a replacement for a missing or poor fixed network infrastructure. In the USA there is a large operator, Sprint, that has already relied on WiMAX. "However, WiMAX 2 will not change the prospects in Germany," emphasizes the expert. In this country, the 4G train seems to have left in favor of LTE.
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