The Wimax sector is pushing back against LTE with new initiatives to streamline device approval and enhance mobile Wimax.
The Wimax Forum unveiled a new program yesterday that it says will reduce operator testing costs, ensure interoperability and accelerate time-to-market for new devices.
The initiative will create a database of new certified Wimax products that operators can activate and manage over the air, said forum president Ron Resnick.
“A user can buy a device and open the connection manager that shows all available Wimax operators. The operator they select can then reference back to the database to recognize that device and its features and decide whether to accept the device or not,” Resnick said. “Once they accept the device, the user has the option buy a one-day pass, a one-week pass and so on.”
Resnick says the initiative will make it easier for retailers to sell new devices without having to wait for Wimax operators to test and approve them ahead of time.
The Wimax Forum has certified over 130 devices, the majority of them USB dongles, with embedded laptops and netbooks the next largest category.
Resnick said that forum’s certification will start testing under the program next month.