Airspan Shows Off WiMAX Home Router

April 29, 2005

Airspan Networks has begun developing prototypes of WiMAX base stations designed for the home. At The Wireless LAN Event in London last week, the company showed off the "EasyST," a WiMAX base station about the size of a few CD jewel boxes. Since WiMAX devices have yet to be certified, the device is nothing more than a prototype, although the company is already developing the EasyST to complement an outdoor ProST device as well as its HiperMAX WiMAX backhaul products.

Although the WiMAX certification process begins this summer, carriers and device makers are already jockeying for position. Because of the delays associated with the technology, the initial plans for dedicated external customer-premise equipment (CPEs) will be overhauled as quickly as possible, manufacturers say, to take WiMAX to the masses as quickly as possible.

The EasyST has been designed with three versions in mind, one using an internal 6dBi antenna, another using an external 10 dBi antenna that can be mounted on a window, and a third model that adds WiFi functionality to allow networking throughout the home. In addition, AirSpan may add the capability to allow the user to plug in one to four VOIP lines, executives said. The base station will include a slot for a SIM card, the technology used in Europe to identify phones and allow them to use a designated network.

However, the company only plans to release the EasyST in the 3.5-GHz licensed band for the European market, adding an upgrade to the 5.8-GHz unlicensed band in the first quarter of 2006, according to Paul Mansell, director of business development and marketing for Airspan's Western European operations.

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