Fujitsu and Navini Show Industry's First Interoperability Demonstration Using Beamformed Mobile WiMAX

(Business News & Technology News, 15 Oct 2007)

Navini Networks and Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. (FMA) has demonstrated the first multi-vendor interoperability using Smart WiMAX technology—the conjunction of smart beamforming with Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO) on a Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) network. Smart WiMAX systems will provide an estimated doubling of system capacity, while offering up to twice the coverage of simple WiMAX networks in a fully mobile setting.

The demonstration, the first in the industry between two different vendors, took place in Navini's test facility in Richardson, Texas, using Navini's Ripwave MX8 base station running Mobile WiMAX software and a CPE reference design prototype based on the Fujitsu MB86K21 802.16e-2005 Mobile WiMAX chip. Smart WiMAX beamformed connectivity was achieved using "dedicated pilots", a mandatory feature for all Wave 2 Mobile Station subscriber devices required for certification under published WiMAX Forum profiles.

Navini's Ripwave base stations combine the coverage and capacity benefits of beamforming with the robustness and throughput enhancements of MIMO. Navini's combination of standards-based beamforming with MIMO is called Smart WiMAX. Navini is working with partners such as Fujitsu to extend the capabilities of Smart WiMAX to include beamformed MIMO, which can double received data rates and improve the reliability of a mobile signal. "Navini, with others, led the inclusion of beamforming and beamforming plus MIMO into the profiles for Mobile WiMAX interoperability testing," explained Sai Subramanian, VP Product Management and Strategic Marketing, Navini Networks. "Showing multi-vendor interoperability underlines our standards-based approach to delivering the highest performance possible of Mobile WiMAX."

"Navini and Fujitsu are the technology leaders in beamformed MIMO," said Makoto Awaga, General Manager of the Mobile Solution Division at the Electronics Devices Group of Fujitsu Ltd. "Subscriber modems using the Fujitsu MB86K21 will use this advanced technology to offer the best possible performance when using Mobile WiMAX."

While the Smart WiMAX concept was developed by Navini, the technology is standardized and can be implemented by any vendor, as demonstrated by this collaboration with Fujitsu.

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