First WiMAX Baseband Chip
Wavesat Inc., a fabless semiconductor developer of broadband wireless chips, today announced delivery of the first ever WiMAX chip, the DM256. Many of the 30 customers who bought development kits in 2004 have already ordered chips and are the first to receive them in December 2004. Wavesat is planning general availability in early January 2005.
WiMAX
WiMAX is a wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) technology that will connect IEEE 802.11(WiFi) hotspots to the Internet and provide a wireless extension to cable and DSL for last mile (last km) broadband access. IEEE 802.16 provides up to 50 km (31 miles) of linear service area range and allows users connectivity without a direct line of sight to a base station. The technology also provides shared data rates up to 70 Mbit/s, which, according to WiMAX proponents, is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support more than 60 businesses with T1-type connectivity and well over a thousand homes at 1Mbit/s DSL-level connectivity. Another advantage is that traffic will be carried over Synchronous Digital Hierarchy up to the end points. This is an advantage in that it reduces latency and high capital requirements that satellite access requires.
The DM256 is Wavesat’s 6th generation of OFDM products and it is the first to comply with the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard. This IC is very flexible and easily configurable to meet all WiMAX profiles for both base station and subscriber designs. Wavesat’s R&D team is already working on the next generation of ICs, ensuring backward compatibility with the DM256. This will allow equipment manufacturers and operators to easily evolve from fixed to full mobility networks (IEEE 802.16e) in the next few years. Wavesat is a key player in the WiMAX Forum and a driving force in the development of the IEEE 802.16 standard since its inception.
“This is a strong testimony to the vision and determination of our engineers to design, produce and validate the Industry’s first WiMAX chip,” said Michel Guay, president and CEO of Wavesat. “The recent closing of our financing round validates our efforts to date and enhances our capability to support our customers in developing the first WiMAX compliant systems in early 2005.”
