The planned WiMax rollout in the UK could be delayed due to objections by O2 and T-Mobile.
OfCom had originally planned to auction the 2.6Ghz spectrum for WiMax in July, but has announced that the auction could be delayed until at least September due to legal action by the two operators.
O2 & T-Mobile’s complaints centre on them not being able to adequately value to WiMax spectrum. OfCom is also planning to re-auction some of the 900MHz GSM spectrum. Until the exact details of this ‘re-farming’ are revealed, say O2 & T-Mobile, they can’t tell how valuable the new WiMax spectrum is going to be and cannot therefore place a sensible bid.
Some industry commentators have pointed out, however, that it would be to established operators advantage to see the auction delayed as this would prevent a new WiMax operator from gaining a foothold before they were ready to roll out their Long Term Evolution (LTE) network - seen as the successor to 3G.
Either way - no WiMax for a while, which is a shame. OfCom does seem eager to get tihngs moving though. “We are seeking an expedited timeframe for the legal action to be heard,” said a spokesperson.
The BBC is reporting that Nokia has signed a deal with Sony Ericsson, NEC and Alacatel-Lucent as part of an ambitious plan to roll out a 4G wireless system. It’s mostly the dry legal stuff about licensing that’s being hammered out just now, as the companies have formed a licensing framework for their 4G patents, called Long Term Evolution (LTE).
More exciting is the fact that the deal will help bolster LTE, which is in direct competition with the Intel backed Wimax standard which is another possible route that 4G connectivity could take. But what exactly is 4G? Well, the easy answer is, it’s 3G but one better. Basically, as far as LTE goes anyway, the new connectivity standard is faster than 3G and capable of long distance wireless tomfoolery (much like Wimax then).
Continue reading ‘Nokia et al to throw an LTE cat among the Wimax pigeons’
HTC obviously has high hopes for Google’s Android OS if recent claims are to be believed.
The manufacturer has already thrown its hat into the ring by helping develop the first Android handset, the Dream, but this is apparently only the start.
Speaking to Taiwanese analysts, HTC CEO Peter Chou has come out and said his company plans to launch up to three Android-based phones in the coming year, and expect its revenues to rise 20% next year.
Some manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola have already signed up to Google’s Open Handset Alliance, but Nokia is yet to commit fully. HTC’s support will be a fillip to Google’s attempts to break the Windows Mobile-Symbian-UIQ hegemony of mobile OS systems.
He also said that HTC plans to launch new user interface that’s better than TouchFLO and its first WiMAX devices by early 2009.
[Via Digi Times]
Motorola is betting heavily on WiMAX, the much-hyped 4G of mobile internet that offers download speeds in the tens of megabits, and has just performed a series of demonstrations in Chicago to prove it. Journalists and analysts were treated to a demo of WiMAX voice-over-IP calling, web browsing, and video streaming as they cruised down the Chicago River, and while driving at ‘beyond 50mph’ alongside it.
Chicago is one of six US cities that Sprint has hired Motorola to build WiMAX networks in, with plans to offer ‘high-speed internet browsing, local and location-centric services, and multimedia services including music, video, TV and on-demand products. Sprint also plans to bring Xohm WiMAX mobile internet customers search, interactive communications and social networking tools through a new mobile portal in a deal announced with Google.’
WiMAX is going to be big, believe us. And if you don’t believe us, ask a Korean — they already have WiMAX’s sister tech, WiBRO, available today.
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