Clearwire said it is in no hurry to deploy the next generation of mobile WiMAX technology, known as 802.16m. The IEEE is expected to approve the next-generation of WiMAX, which is expected to double the speeds of today's WiMAX generation, in mid-2010.
Clearwire Chief Technology Officer John Saw told Unstrung that the operator is keeping an eye on the specifications but won't likely test the technology until 2011. The next generation of WiMAX is designed to enable peak data rates of 120 Mbps on the downlink and 60 Mbps on the uplink in an urban deployment using 4 x 2 MIMO antennas in a 20-megahertz swathe of spectrum.
Saw said he believes that 2012 is a more reasonable timeframe for commercial deployment of 802.16m and would benefit the company by offering more "spectrally efficient" 20-megahertz channels.
For more:
- see this Unstrung article
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