YOTA LAUNCHES MOBILE WIMAX AND 4G IN RUSSIA

Scartel (brand Yota), a Russian provider of Mobile WiMAX, and HTC have launched the world’s first integrated GSM/WiMAX handset.

“Yota was established to provide a unique set of mobile communication services to millions of people in Russia and today we have launched the first device and services to realise its full potential,” said Denis Sverdlov, General Director of Yota’s parent company, Scartel LLC (brand Yota). “We really believe that these innovative services, high-speed Internet and stylish HTC MAX 4G will completely change the communications industry, just as the introduction of cellular communications did many years ago.”

The Yota Mobile WiMAX network offers high-speed wireless Internet access, and the Mobile WiMAX network with traffic prioritisation algorithms, allows online films, video and TV programmes to be viewed on the large WVGA screen.

Mobile WiMAX modems

All Mobile WiMAX devices

• Provide Internet access at speeds up to 10 Mbps within the Yota network coverage area.
• Have the pre-installed Yota Access program that helps establish Internet connection in a couple of minutes.

USB Modems
A USB modem can be used with either a notebook or a stationary computer.

Mobile WiMAX USB Modem Samsung SWC-U200

Specifications:

Host Interface	USB2.0
Modulation	QPSK, 16/64QAM, OFDMA
Standard	IEEE 802.16e Wave 2
Frequency Support	2.5~2.7GHz
Output Power	0,2 W
Power Supply	2,5 W
Size	70x27x14 mm
Weight	25g

Mobile WiMAX USB Modem ASUS WUSB25E2

Specifications:

Host Interface	USB2.0
Modulation	QPSK, 16/64QAM, OFDMA
Standard	IEEE 802.16e Wave 2
Frequency Support	2.5~2.7GHz
Output Power	0,2 W
Power Supply	2,5 W
Size	105x36x10.6 mm
Weight	70g

ExpressCard Modems

The device is compatible with notebooks fitted by Express and PCMCIA slots.

Express Card 4G Mobile WiMAX 2,5-2,7 GHz SWC-E100

Specifications:

Host Interface	Express port
Modulation	QPSK, 16/64QAM, OFDMA
Standard	IEEE 802.16e Wave 2
Frequency Support	2.5~2.7GHz
Output Power	0,2 W
Power Supply	2,5 W
Size	118x39,4x14 mm
Weight	37,5g

Broadcasting 14 free channels at launch and 23 channels by the end of 2008, Yota TV introduces a powerful mobile television experience. The vibrant, 3.8 inch 800x480 screen of the HTC MAX 4G can display up to nine TV channels simultaneously, allowing quick and easy channel surfing and programme selection. Thanks to the device’s TV-out capability, users can also watch content on the big screen, putting the HTC MAX 4G at the very heart of the mobile entertainment experience.

”The introduction of the HTC MAX 4G represents the culmination of a close partnership between HTC and Yota to develop the world’s first integrated mobile GSM/WIMAX handset,” said Peter Chou, CEO and President, HTC Corporation. “Russia is a key strategic market for HTC and Yota’s Mobile WiMAX network sets a new global benchmark for next-generation mobile services.”

The HTC MAX 4G supports GSM calls using a SIM card from any Russian network operator and when both callers are Yota subscribers, the call will automatically be routed as a VoIP call over the Yota Mobile WiMAX network.

HTC MAX 4G Specifications

Processor:Qualcomm^® ESM7206A™ 528 MHz

Platform:Windows Mobile^® 6.1 Professional

Memory:ROM: 288 MB, RAM: 288 MB, Flash: 8 GB, can be augmented with microSD cards

Dimensions:113.5 mm × 63.1 mm × 13.9 mm

Weight:151 gram (accumulator included)

Display:3.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 480x800 WVGA resolution

Network:Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 900/1800/1900 MHz Yota Mobile WiMAX 2.5~2.7 GHz

GPS:Built-in GPS receiver

Connections:IEEE 802.16e (Mobile WiMAX) IEEE 802.11b/g (WiFi) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR HTC extUSB

Main camera:High-resolution with autofocus

Second:VGA-camera

Additional:FM-radio Motion G-sensor, position sensitive interface display automatically assesses the surrounding light and changes its own brightness

Memory cards: microSD (compatible with SD 2.0)

Audio: Supported: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format

Battery: Li-Pol, 1500 mA⋅h

Talk time: GSM: up to 420 minutes

VoIP: up to 230 minutes

Standby time: GSM: up to 350 hours

VoIP: up to 50 hours

AC Adapter: Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz

SPRINT: SAMSUNG WIMAX READY

Sprint and Samsung today declared Mobile WiMax ready for commercial service. Sprint plans on launching commercial WiMax in Washington and Baltimore “later this year”.

Washington and Baltimore joined Chicago in a “soft rollout”, in which Sprint workers use and test the technology, a Sprint spokesman said last week. A Clearwire Mobile WiMax rollout is also planned, likely later this summer, in Portland, Oregon.

Despite today’s announcement about Washington and Baltimore, no commercial rollout projection for Chicago was mentioned. When asked about Chicago, a Sprint spokesman said “there will be further progress to report at another time.”

It’s a Motorola party in Chicago and Portland.

Sprint and Samsung said testing of overall performance, including successful wireless handoffs between cell towers without delay, had met Sprint’s “rigorous commercial acceptance criteria.” Testing was conducted in laboratories, as well as in the Baltimore-Washington area, the companies said.

Samsung has been working with Sprint since June 2007. There were lab tests, followed by field tests in October and then interoperability tests with “multiple” other device vendors in April.

Those devices included a Nokia’s WiMax tablet, a Samsung WiMax express card for laptops and a Zyxel WiMax modem. Intel has been developing chip sets for use in laptops and ultramobile PCs.

Clearwire is planning to move onto Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., with mobile WiMax deployments after it launches in Portland, Ore., in the second half of this year, the company said during its first quarter earnings call this week. Clearwire ended the first quarter of 2008 with 443,000 users, up 72 percent on the previous year’s first quarter.

Maravedis forecasts WiMAX subscribers to exceed 100 million by 2014.

Meanwhile, there are more than 45 million cellular-based HSPA users worldwide, delivering consistent data rates in the range of 500 kbit/s to 1.5 Mbit/s, reports Unstrung. The GSM family will account for fully 89% of the global market in 2011, according to Gartner Inc. In the U.S., AT&T is a GSM provider, along with T-Mobile, which many believe will eventually announce intentions to support LTE and has launched AWS service in New York City.

Alltel has committed to LTE but any significant network upgrades are still three to five years out, the company said today. The No. 5 carrier has just over 13 million customers. Alltel is the second major CDMA carrier (after Verizon Wireless) to switch tracks and select LTE. Sprint, of course, is going the Mobile WiMAX route (and may get a 3-5 year lead over the competition).

Late to the party, AT&T and Verizon had to pay a premium for their spectrum, will wait years for LTE infrastructure, and could be left with scraps for their microwave backhaul.

“It’s what I call the elephant in the room that nobody talks about,” explained Clearwire CTO John Saw, to Unstrung. “The backhaul is probably the highest cost of deploying the network… Anyone who wants to roll out a real wireless broadband network nationwide needs a cheaper solution.”