Nortel Achieves Industry's First Multi-Vendor Live WiMAX Call

February 13, 2007

Kyocera Wireless and Runcom have achieved what is believed to be the industry's first multi-vendor, live MIMO call using innovative WiMAX antenna technology. This technology is expected to deliver mobile services three to five times faster and at a much lower cost than today's 3G networks. The groundbreaking call, which included both voice and streaming video, demonstrated the commercial viability of MIMO-powered WiMAX for networks and end-user devices.

MIMO-powered WiMAX will allow service providers to meet the high bandwidth demands of today's mobile society without being prohibited by huge costs. This advancement has the potential to offer consumers fully mobile access to entertainment and communication tools that traditionally have been restricted to the home or office. For example, true mobility could be extended to workers for secure access and unprecedented bandwidth wherever they go; video gamers could enjoy their favorite interactive games in real-time; and children could pass the time on long drives watching their favorite shows via streaming video.

"This solidifies Nortel's position as a leader in OFDM-MIMO which is the underlying technology of WiMAX and the basis for all 4G solutions" said Peter MacKinnon, GM of WiMAX, Nortel. "To ensure an ecosystem of MIMO-powered WiMAX, Nortel has brought together its leadership in 4G Mobile Broadband technologies with Kyocera Wireless' expertise in consumer devices and Runcom's pioneering developments in chipset technologies."

"In order to be successful in the market, mobile video must be affordable for consumers," said Monica Paolini, Senza Fili Consulting. "WiMAX, with its infrastructure, high capacity, and the proven ability to support mobility, is an excellent technology choice for operators looking to drive the costs out of mobile services while still offering the most competitive broadband speed performance."

"As the world's first handset manufacturer to demonstrate a MIMO-powered WiMAX device, Kyocera Wireless is in a leadership position to enable future products with the bandwidth-intensive features - like television and broadband Internet - that many consumers will demand," said Dave Carey, vice president of strategic planning, Kyocera Wireless Corp. "Kyocera Wireless has a long track record of innovation in the wireless industry and we're gratified to be working with Nortel and Runcom on yet another step forward in wireless technology."

"Leading edge WiMAX technology will allow mobile customers to enjoy enhanced communication services without sacrificing the flexibility and dependability that they have come to expect from their devices and networks," said Dr Zion Hadad, CEO, Runcom. "We expect this collaboration will provide the end to end MIMO solutions that can transform the wireless industry."
The call took place at Nortel's Advanced Technology Lab in Ottawa over live air using 2.5 Ghz commercial spectrums. The technology used was a prototype PCMCIA card from Kyocera Wireless powered by Runcom's MIMO chipset, and Nortel's WiMAX Base Station 5020. This is believed to be the industry's first multi-vendor, end-to-end WiMAX MIMO wireless broadband solution where all components are MIMO based. Nortel signed a working agreement with Kyocera Wireless in December to bring to market MIMO-based PCMCIA cards and other devices. Based on market demand, commercial products could be available later this year. In addition, Nortel will demonstrate the MIMO-powered WiMAX solution at its booth (#145 in Hall 8) at 3GSM World Congress taking place Feb. 12-15 in Barcelona.

Nortel's Mobile WiMAX solution is built on a foundation of MIMO, a combination of innovative transmission and antenna technologies that maximizes spectrum to deliver the lightning-fast speeds and high bandwidth essential to high-quality mobile video and TV. The power and performance of Nortel's solution provides substantial savings to operators because WiMAX delivers high-speed, broadband fixed and mobile services wirelessly to large areas with minimal infrastructure.