Source: www.voip-news.com

Solectek is going to be providing infrastructure for VoiceNetworkx’s 3.65 GHz WiMAX deployment in Southern California.

“We have researched the space for almost a year and are very satisfied with the technical analysis and real world deployment capabilities of our partner. But as far as the wireless portion of the deployment, it is settled,” said Malcolm Leal, Ph.D. President and CEO of VoiceNetworkx, Inc. “The proximity and availability of the engineering team at Solectek, the experience and reputation in the market of this company provide a level of business confidence that is unmatched, in our opinion.”

According to VoiceNetworkx:

Installation of the base stations and related infrastructure will begin at selected Points of Presence promptly in accordance with VoiceNetworkx’s deployment schedule. VoiceNetworkx plans to develop 12 Points of Presence along their 100 mile long fiber optic circuit that extends from Hemet, CA to 1 Wilshire, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Source: www.voip-news.com

This is a holy cow moment: According to new research from Light Reading Communications Network and Pyramid Research, there will be 97 percent mobile penetration in Egypt by 2014. That’s a mega increase over 54 percent in 2008. So what’s driving the projected change? Changes in competition.

This has been largely driven by the entry of a third mobile operator, Etisalat Egypt, which has ignited the market with lower prices and innovative services; it was also the first to launch 3G and is investing into upgrading to HSPA,” says Yejide Onabule, analyst and author of the report. “Other operators compete to attract the untapped, lower-income segments, developing very successful low-ARPS business models. This has led to a boom in the number of mobile subscriptions, which grew by 37 percent in 2008. We expect the current rapid growth to persist through the forecast period, with mobile penetration reaching 97 percent by year-end 2014.”

The report, Communications Markets in Egypt, looks at how new technologies including WiMAX and VoIP will spread as well.

Check out an excerpt at http://www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=18&sc=PR042309_CIREG

Source: www.voip-news.com

A new report from Pyramid Research offers an analysis of the fixed and mobile communications sectors, with careful attention to new technologies like WiMax, IPTV, and VoIP. According to Communications Markets in South Africa, fixed-network operator Telkom SA is facing increased competition from mobile voice and data services as well as fiber network buildouts.

“The high penetration rates, however, make it one of the slowest growing markets in the region, driving operators to seek new ways to distinguish themselves and develop new revenue streams,” said Yejide Onabule, Analyst at Pyramid Research and author of the report.

According to the Pyramid:

Communications Markets in South Africa offers a precise, incisive profile of the country’s converged telecommunications, media, and technology sectors based on proprietary data from our research in the South African market. The . This executive study provides a comprehensive view of the South African communications market by analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing upcoming risks factors. Download an excerpt of this new report here: http://www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=18&sc=PR040909_CIRSAF

“Fixed voice revenue has been declining in the past few years and this trend is expected to continue; revenue is expected to fall from $2.7 billion in 2008 to $2.1 billion in 2014, mostly due to the falling cost of mobile telephony,” says Onabule. “Telkom’s revenue will decline by 20 percent in the next five years due to a continuation of fixed voice revenue’s downward trend and competing operators’ plans to build out fiber networks that will cut into Telkom’s business service revenues.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

What’s coming on the VoIP horizon? More VoIP over WiMAX — except it’s going mobile.

Mobile Voice over WiMAX on the Clearwire network is in testing, according to news reports. The service is being tested in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to launch next year.

According to MultiChannel News:

Clearwire will look at adding mobile voice to its product line in 2010, and has discussed working with its cable partners to offer mobile voice services and handsets as well, said chief strategy officer Scott Richardson.

“The plan this year is to test out the mobile VoIP handsets,” he said. “We’re testing the usage model, and the integration with your home phone and the WiMax network, and how you hand off to a cellular network” like Sprint Nextel’s 3G network.

The “new” Clearwire was formed last December, combining the legacy company’s operations with Sprint’s WiMax wireless business. The new entity has received a $3.2 billion cash investment from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Intel and Google. The MSO partners have the option to buy WiMax access services on a wholesale basis from Clearwire.

Source: www.voip-news.com

There is some new WiMAX coming to Cali, FCC permitting.

VoiceNetworkx has started the FCC registration process for 3.65 GHz WiMAX base stations. They plan to deploy the 12 base stations in southern California this year.

According to the company:

The company is leveraging its current VoIP competencies and network in order to capitalize on the FCC’s decision to use a non-exclusive shared use licensing scheme for the 3.65 GHz band. This new unlicensed spectrum availability, combined with a fast and affordable registration process, has created a unique opportunity for VoiceNetworkx to expand its product and service offering.

The registration will cover 12 initial base stations to be installed by VoiceNetworkx in mixed urban-rural markets in Southern California. VoiceNetworkx plans to implement VoIP and other network services over the planned wireless broadband network which could reach 100,000 subscribers in those 12 markets.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Motorola has a new all-in-one access point that combines WiMAX, Wi-Fi and VoIP, along with an Ethernet port. THe Motorola wi4 WiMAX CPEi 775 is a WiMAX 802.16e modem with an integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g router, VoIP ATA ports for voice calling, and an Ethernet port.

It’s the second generation for this router, which was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show.

According to Motorola:

The second generation CPEi 775 follows the award winning CPEi 850, and once again raises the bar on performance for the rest of the industry. By incorporating adaptive switching techniques, the CPEi 775 does not need to be rotated for optimal signal strength, allowing easier installation. With some of the most advanced antenna designs available today, the CPEi 775 sets new standards for device transmit power and receive sensitivity — two factors that have a big impact on a network operator’s bottom line, and the number of cells required to provide coverage.

“As mobile WiMAX networks proliferate globally service providers are looking for ways to leverage the speed and performance of WiMAX for more advanced services,” said Charles Riggle, senior director of strategy and business development, WiMAX devices, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. “It takes considerable know-how to put two different radio technologies together in a single package with internal antennas and not suffer from interference or degraded throughput. With the CPEi 775, we are able to provide high performance in a very attractive form factor.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

OOh, intrigue.

I caught wind of a new VoIP service that is coming to the U.S. soon and it runs on a completely different platform than we’ve discussed here — wMax (not to be confused with WiMAX). A company called XG Technology is behind the effort and intends to roll it out to Florida first.

The claim? That this is a low-power, long-range wireless technology that will knock the socks off of WiMAX and other technologies. Understandably, some people are quite skeptical.

According to the New York TImes:

The goal is to roll out a VoIP service in South Florida this year and launch data and modem services in 2009, according to the Financial Times. I’ve called the company to learn more, but have not heard back. If it can deliver a low-power, mobile broadband service that would be a cheaper alternative to cellular and possibly to other wireless broadband efforts, that’s pretty sweet, but it seems a little too good to be true.

Source: www.voip-news.com

DigitalBridge Communications is now offering VoIP over their high-speed WiMAX network in the U.S. Currently, the service is available in some areas of Idaho, Indiana, Montana, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming.

DBC offers both a fixed and a portable WiMAX service. It runs on the Alvarion BreezeMAX platform.

“DBC is proud to be leading the way again with our launch of WiMAX voice Internet service in the U.S.,” said Kelley Dunne, CEO of DBC. “On the heels of DBC’s highly successful launch of the first mobile WiMAX offering, it is clear there is a strong appetite across the U.S. for 4G services. DBC is accelerating its product roadmap delivery to meet this growing customer demand.”

The VoIP is available exclusively with BridgeMAXX internet service for $29.99 a month.

DBC’s voice capability enhances its fixed high-speed wireless Internet service by enabling customers to easily upgrade for greater value. It is exclusively available for use with BridgeMAXX high speed Internet. Selling under the BridgeMAXX brand, the new voice service is offered for a price of $29.99 per month. Similar to the Internet service, customers can install their service on their own in a matter of minutes.

The DBC BridgeMAXX Voice Service is powered by Alianza’s hosted voice platform providing industry standard feature sets for residential and business customers. The platform features a highly intuitive interface that consolidates the entire VoIP services lifecycle and all its disparate systems and processes with seamless back-office integration and parallel business process optimization. According to Doug Smith, CIO of DBC, “the Alianza platform simplifies our administrative and operational tasks. DBC has been able to deploy quickly and cost-efficiently, while driving increased revenue through BridgeMAXX voice service as a value-added application for both existing subscribers and new customers.” Brian Beutler, CEO of Alianza added, “DBC has been a true pioneer in the delivery of fourth generation services. We are pleased to be working with such an innovative partner who continues to break new ground with value-added WiMAX applications.”

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Pal Paul Kapustka has updated his killer report on the state of WiMax to include analysis of the post sale of Clearwire Sprint and the roll-up with the cablecos Motorola and Google.

Even if you read the original, you’ll want to read the new one.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I think the big follow ups to the Sprint/ClearWire/Google/Comcast WiMax venture will come from Apple and Intel.

Here’s why:

1) Apple was the first PC manufacturer to embrace Bluetooth and then WiFi by building it into their computers and making it so easy to connect to.

2) Apple has a WWDC conference coming up. This is a perfect place to make the news come alive so applications that take advantage of the WiMax network can begin being developed.

3) While everyone is thinking Apple will announce a 3G iPhone, which I think will happen, I also may go as far as saying they may talk about the 4G iPhone that works on the new WiMax network and point the developers to go forth in that direction too.

4) I would not be surprised if Apple also announced with Intel as a partner, some type of retrofit to existing Mac Books and MacBook Pro platforms that enables WiMax.

5) In line with that, I would also expect the next Mac Book Air to offer WiMax on board as well as all new Mac Laptops.

6) Last but not least, I would think that the next generation of Apple Airport WiFi Routers and even the Time Capsules also offer a WiMax to WiFi step down transceiver that makes every WiFi network able to access WiMax.

These are all prognostications, based solely on gut instinct and does not come from any information from inside of Apple. I figure that by MacWorld in 2009 many of these SWAGs will either have happened or will be likely to happen.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

A lot of questions have been posed about the idea of VoIP over WiMax.

Well it seems, according to this report from iLocus, that there is lots of interest in Eastern Europe to see VoIP deployed as part of the rollouts.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Om breaks a story about the death of XOHM, the rebirth of Clearwire and a lot of interesting partners.