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Exploring the competitive differences between WiMAX and LTE
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Clearwire has said it will launch in eight more markets in 2009. Verizon Wireless is making LTE more of a reality with each passing day. The two 4G standards have their proponents and detractors, but they also have different competitive advantages when compared side-by-side. Robert Syputa, a partner and senior analyst with Maravedis, breaks it down in this monthly column. Industry Voices
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Posted by Anonymous | March 19, 2009 - 4:16pm
Actually MIMO and beamforming antenna applications within an attractive consumer design are quite possible. Check out the iMAT technology of wireless antenna company SkyCross - should allow full MIMO within small device sizes. I am but a layman newbie, but this technology appears to be an asnwer to deploying LTE in the 700MHz band quite effectively. Am I missing something?
Posted by Anonymous | March 19, 2009 - 6:01pm
The number are good for LTE on 700MHz. Problem is you can't build in a distributed network or transport backhaul across LTE as well as you can with WiMAX (microwave).
Essentially, LTE is limited to terminating services and not also transporting them to other sites or third-parties as is possible with WiMAX. Mind you, WiMAX was not engineered for a voice network but is leveraging bandwith to incoporate "real-time" services like voice. WiMAX predessesor is WiFi that should provide the understanding of how to approach WiMAX. LTE is the next-gen of GSM. The 4G moniker has gotten a little misleading with the focus being on data for the past few years. GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA are all data service designation or evolutions. The voice has always been some flavor of GSM or time-division. Also, UMTS is the base for all LTE evolutions. The true names are in the releases. In the industry, we don't know what laymen would like to call the service so we maintain release numbers during conversation. UMTS was release 99 identifying the year of certification. Interesting enough, the releases are in sync with the years now in development, so release 9 was completed in March '09, release 10 will complete in March '10, etc. I believe AT&T is the most advanced with Release 7 or 8. HSDPA was release 4, HSUPA was release 5, HSPA+ is release 6 - 8, and here is where MIMO, OFDMA, and beam forming is introduced for LTE (Long-Term Evolution). I do have to provide a disclaimer for the release number matches to marketing names. I think you get the just of it.
The point is, voice has not evolved, but what has is the data side and the means of transporting voice.
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