In this section, primarily, WiMAX forum and WiSOA (WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance). Besides, other associations are related to WiMAX technology as well for supporting which will be mentioned at the end.
WiMAX Forum
The WiMAX Forum was established in June 2001and is the organization dedicated to certifying the interoperability of WiMAX products. Those that pass conformance and interoperability testing achieve the "WiMAX Forum Certified" designation and can display this mark on their products and marketing materials. Some vendors claim that their equipment is "WiMAX-ready", "WiMAX-compliant", or "pre-WiMAX", if they are not officially WiMAX Forum Certified.WiMAX Forum Mission: "WiMAX Forum is the worldwide consortium focused on global adoption of WiMAX and chartered to establish certification processes that achieve interoperability, publish technical specifications based on recognized standards, promote the technology and pursue a favorable regulatory environment." [1] The strategic objectives are those: 1) Establish cost effective and timely certification processes and certification infrastructure for WiMAX that achieve device and network interoperability. They ensure that the WiMAX Forum Certification is valued and trusted by network providers, service providers and consumers worldwide, which means that the WiMAX technology must be certificated by some official association and then related-people or organizations will be confident to use this technique and service; Cost effective WiMAX certification also need to be required; On time issue is also important due to test specification must be processed and during allowable period. 2) Publish technical specifications to achieve a commercially viable global ecosystem for WiMAX. They aim to deliver high quality technical specifications based on IEEE 802.16 standard to get high performance internet network architecture supporting fixed, portable, nomadic and mobile users; it's also necessary to establish a WiMAX technology blueprint and roadmap to support a wide variety of applications and concept and scenarios that setup a robust ecosystem. WiMAX to WiMAX network and inter-working for WiMAX networks with other wireless networks should be enabled or available; 3) Promote the brand and technology to establish WiMAX as the worldwide market leader for broadband wireless. This is the promoting issue and development aspect. WiMAX forum aim at promoting attractive services and economic value propositions to foster demand of users, promoting WiMAX to ensure spectrum availability and favorable regulatory enviroment, promoting the advantages of WiMAX to facilitate growth of the ecosystem worldwide. The same idea is that the strategies of WiMAX not only focus on technology, regulation and there close relationship, but also concentrate on economic environment situation based on ecosystem worldwide.
The WiMAX Forum definition of itself is that "The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization formed to certify and promote the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon the harmonized IEEE 802.16/ETSI HiperMAN standard. A WiMAX Forum goal is to accelerate the introduction of these systems into the marketplace." [1] The Forum’s goal is to accelerateglobal deployments of and grow the market for standards-based, interoperable, broadbandwireless access (BWA) solutions. The economies of scale realizable throughout thevalue chain will result in cost points and performance levels unachievable by proprietaryapproaches. Computing history has shown that innovation occurs far more rapidly once astandards-based industry structure is in place, with consumers being the primarybeneficiary. Reductions in equipment costs and consistent approaches to network design also vastly improve the business model for service providers.
With the flexibility that wireless broadband access affords, a service provider canoffer premium “on demand” high-speed connectivity for events such as trade shows, withhundreds or even thousands of 802.11 hot spot users. These Wi-Fi hot spots would use802.16 solutions as their backhaul to the core network. Such “on demand” connectivitycould also benefit businesses, such as construction sites, that have nomadic broadbandconnectivity needs. Most importantly, the impact of this technology – assuming favorable regulatoryconditions -- will be very significant in developing nations where service providershaven’t deployed wired infrastructure or where there isn’t sufficient quality wiring tosupport a growing computer-literate population. Especially for low population densityareas (rural and remote) and associated “green field” deployments, wireless broadbandaccess may be far easier, faster and cheaper to deploy than new wired infrastructure.
Another important thing is Global Harmonization. One of the key hurdles to overcome in order to accelerate worldwide broadbandwireless access (BWA) is cost. Although the total cost of deployment includes myriadfactors (licenses, rooftop or tower space, backhaul expenses), the cost of the actualequipment is a major component, and is the focus of service providers and manufacturersinvolved in the WiMAX Forum. Global harmonization, or the uniform allocation of spectrum worldwide, is crucial to lowering equipment costs because radios are a majorcost component in developing WiMAX Forum Certified* systems. To maximize radioperformance and minimize costs, radios must be optimized for each of the majorspectrum bands identified as suitable for WiMAX deployments. The fewer radios neededto serve the worldwide BWA market, the greater the economies of scale that can beachieved in manufacturing, resulting in lower equipment cost. The WiMAX Forum also advocates that governments remain technology neutralin allocating spectrum. Spectrum bands should be allocated in a manner that allowslicense holders to deploy the most appropriate services and technologies for their market,as long as those solutions adhere to the regulatory requirements to support compatibilityof services and deployments, and behave in a safe, fair and consistent manner. With theincreasingly rapid rate of technology advancement, approaches that specify whichtechnology may be used in a particular allocation risk becoming quickly outdated orobsolete. The WiMAX Forum is committed to work with policy makers to ensureeconomically beneficial and efficient use of spectrum.
"WiMAX Forum Certified™ products are fully interoperable and support broadband fixed, portable and mobile services. Along these lines, the WiMAX Forum works closely with service providers and regulators to ensure that WiMAX Forum Certified systems meet customer and government requirements."[1] The benifits of WiMAX Forum Certified products will ensure interoperability among devices and networks to ensure service anytime, anywhere at a lower price point. The ultimate goal of the WiMAX Forum is to acceletrate the introduction of cost-effective broadband wireless services into the marketplace. They also can benefit enterprises by bringing new competition into the marketplace and lowering prices, as well as reaching out to locations not served by wireline internet access. This is especially relevant for industries like gas, mining, agriculture, transportation, construction and others that operate in remote locations. Actually, WiMAX Forum plans to have five certification test labs located in the U.S., Europe, China, Korea and Tawan. With three more labs located in India, Japan, and Tawan planned to be opened in 2008, Mobile WiMAX certification will have capacity to support global deployments.
According to products being commercially available, to date, approximately 30 fixed WiMAX products have attained certification. initial certification is based on the 802.16 2004 standard. The new 802.16e standard was approved in 2005 to deliver mobile internet services and mobile WiMAX certification is on track and meeting WiMAX Forum schedules to deliver WiMAX Forum certified products into market. Wireless broadband access systems from WiMAX Forum members are already involved in more than 275 trials and deployments in more than 65 countries around the world. Examples of operators that are trialing or deploying WiMAX technology include BT in UK, France Telecom, Rogers in Canada, Korea Telecom, KDDI in Japan, Telmex in Mexicao, Unwired in Australia, Reliance in India, SingTel in Singapore. SprintNextel and Clearwire joined together to construct the first U.S. mobile broadband network using WiMAX technology, and build the global development of WiMAX based services.
In total, global development and environment are tremendously important for WiMAX technology and 802.16 WiMAX standard. In today's world, broadband access is essential for the economic growth of nations. The Forum believes it is imperative for administrations to take a leadership rolein ensuring that its citizens benefit from the greatest choice of broadband access suppliersand the most cost effective broadband access services & devices. [2]
WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance
Now I would also like to give the abstract introduce of WiSOA. WiSOA is the first global organization composed exclusively of owners of WiMAX spectrum with plans to deploy WiMAX technology in those bands. WiSOA is focussed on the regulation, commercialisation, and deployment of WiMAX spectrum in the 2.3–2.5 GHz and the 3.4–3.5 GHz ranges. WiSOA are dedicated to educating and informing its members, industry representatives and government regulators of the importance of WiMAX spectrum, its use, and the potential for WiMAX to revolutionise broadband. The key objective of the WiSOA is to accelerate the acceptance and deployment of interoperable WiMAX networks through a coordinated global effort. [3] WiSOA strictly represents the needs of those companies and organization that own and operate WiMAX spectrum. its particular focus is on WiMAX networks, most especially on resolving thoses issues related to the definition and implementation of interoperable network infrastructure and services. Specially, WiSOA mainly focus on spectrum issues of WiMAX. WiSOA is intend to assist member who have committed to deploy WiMAX and who are the forefront of the development of this new branch of the telecommunications industry. WiSOA acknowledges that the value of the spectrum is essential to ensuring the unrestricted flow of capital to WiMAX operators.
Once there is a specific association who can pay attention to the spectrum problem, it will be more positive for WiMAX standard progress so that frequencies can be used more effectively and it's better for promotion of global and worldwide wireless network and economic and marketing maturely development.
Of course, WiMAX also have relation with other association such as Wireless Communications Association International (WCA), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) for some particular details of standards and regulations. However, WiMAX Forum and WiSOA are playing a core and primary role for WiMAX technology and institutional issues for global blueprint.
[1] http://www.wimaxforum.org/
[2] "Regulatory Position and Goals of the WiMAX Forum", White paper of WiMAX Forum, Chair, Regulatory Working Group, Aug. 2004
[3] http://www.wisoa.net/
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