In a press release this morning, a consortium of companies consisting of Intel, Samsung, Motorola Alvarion, Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans, XRONet, ZTE and ITRI have announced intentions to collaborate on the development of the WiMax 2 standard by forming the WiMAX 2 Collaboration Initiative.
The 802.16m air interface standard definition being branded WiMax 2 began in 2006 in the IEEE as a follow-up to the 802.16e specification currently in use around the world and is expected to be completed in the 2nd half of this year. WiMax 2 also meets the strict definition of 4G as defined by the International Telecommunications Union under the “IMT-Advanced†specification with peak rates of more than 300 Mbps, lower latency and increased VoIP capacity.
The group will issue detailed milestones and delivery schedules within the next 3-6 months with the goal to support the WiMAX Forum’s readiness to certify commercial products by late 2011.
