TOKYO (WiMAX Day). ACCA Networks in Japan has announced that it will launch more testing of Mobile WiMAX in Yokohama City in December. ACCA has made several tests of WiMAX in the last year, based on the 802.16e standard.

The previous tests made by ACCA have used limited 2.5 GHz spectrum received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) upon special application for testing only. ACCA filed an application with the MIC in October for permission to use the spectrum for testing in December.

Presently, the MIC has not issued formal licenses for 2.5 GHz spectrum, although it has acknowledged that the spectrum is slated for use with BWA. The Ministry has yet to define BWA and its use in Japan. The MIC also has yet to define what technology should be applied for the spectrum. Nonetheless, companies such as ACCA, Yozan, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI are already planning WiMAX networks and services in anticipation of a final decision from the MIC, which some say may be as early as the end of this month.

From the Suburbs to the City
Earlier WiMAX tests by ACCA, using equipment from Alcatel, were made at the Yokosuka Research Park (YRP), in a suburban area outside of Tokyo. This area was selected due to its natural open area overlooking Tokyo bay, with a background of hills and mountains, and because of the previous experience of YRP in testing radio wave technology. The results from these tests were submitted to the MIC as the basis for approval of new testing.

The tests in December will go to the heart of the urban sprawl of Yokohama, and seek to confirm the basic characteristics of WiMAX technology in an urban environment. The tests will focus specifically on the seamless connection with QoS technology between mobile and fixed IP core networks, which if successful, will prove the use of WiMAX with limited network resources, and as a technology that can operate in an open platform environment.

The testing in December will also test basic characteristics such as connectivity, throughput and radio intensity, and the tests will use applications such as VoIP, multi-media streaming and message services.

Multiple applications for WiMAX in Japan
ACCA Networks is a telecommunications provider in Japan and offers Internet connectivity via DSL and optical fibre to more than 1.3 million users. With the addition of WiMAX in their service offering, ACCA are planning for a wider range of applications than are presently used for their fixed broadband products.

According to Yoshio Sakata, President of ACCA and Head of WiMAX Business Development, ACCA will focus on several areas of development. This includes applications for consumers in an urban environment that are sensitive the latest technologies, with costs that compare to existing mobile phone technologies, and to consumers in the suburban environment who may just want simple connectivity at a low price.

WiMAX also offers a network technology that can integrate “security and disaster prevention services for the community” said Sakata. For ACCA WiMAX also easily integrates into a corporate solutions platform where partners can utilise WiMAX in a package as a complement to their DSL and optical services.

For Sakata, the flexibility of WiMAX to integrate into IP networks shows the real value of the WiMAX business model and will be the key to its success in Japan.