GENEVA (WiMAX Day). At a meeting of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) yesterday, it was agreed that a sixth new standard, “IMT-2000 OFDMA TDD WMAN,” be admitted to the family of IMT-2000 radio interface specifications.

IMT-2000 is a global standard for third generation (3G) mobile wireless communications that was defined by the ITU in 1999. The original members of the IMT-2000 family included the technologies UMTS, CDMA2000, TD-CDMA, EDGE and DECT.

The underlying characteristic of this new technical interface is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which in terms of network connectivity, allows for the simultaneous transmission of low data rates amongst multiple users.

It is specifically ODFMA that provides mobility for the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMan (WMAN) interface standard, all of which is collectively referred to as WiMAX. In simple terms, the ratification of this new standard makes WiMAX a full member of the IMT-2000 family of mobile wireless technologies.

In commercial terms, the decision of the ITU means that certain global radio frequencies that are classified for use only with IMT-2000 technologies now can be used by networks that employ WiMAX technology. In particular, the 2500 ~ 2690 MHz frequency that is reserved for use with IMT-2000 is also a prime frequency for WiMAX. Many countries have been waiting for this classification from the ITU before licensing these frequencies for use with WiMAX.

Sibling rivalry
The road to IMT was driven with great skill by the WiMAX Forum, the IEEE and Intel, amongst others, however it was also hotly contested, with assassins at every turn. WiMAX is an abruptive technology that delivers true wireless broadband at speeds far greater than what is currently available with 3G technologies. Moreover, WiMAX technology can be offered at 1/10th the cost.

Thus not all attendees of the ITU meeting were happy with the decision. The companies Ericsson and Qualcomm, both significant stakeholders in UMTS and CDMA technologies, have rallied against WiMAX, in fear that the upstart would soon usurp their lucrative stranglehold on the 3G market.

However the final decision on IMT was made by government representatives, not corporations, as the ITU is an agency of the United Nations. It was significant that while Ericsson made last minute appeals to sabotage the ratification process, the representative of Sweden was giving full support for WiMAX. Likewise, the American representative was knee-deep in lobbyists from 3G heavyweight Qualcomm, but also voted in favour of the more democratic WiMAX technology.

The 3G industry is distraught over the ITU decision not because WiMAX technology will be able compete in different radio frequencies. No, the throne is in peril because WiMAX is now sanctioned to work in the same radio frequencies as 3G, which in effect could allow companies that own expensive licenses for IMT-2000 radio spectrum to effectively trash their 3G networks and offer better, faster, and less expensive services from WiMAX.

In addition, any telecommunications network that adopts WiMAX technology will also get an early leap to 4G, the next wireless standard, which many believe also will be based on OFDMA technology.

All bets are in
The WiMAX industry at large bade a collective sigh of relief last night as news of the ITU decision crossed the globe. Technology companies such as Intel and Motorola, and network owners such as Sprint and Clearwire, have invested billions of dollars in WiMAX, and the IMT-2000 classification confirms the fortitude of these investments.

A warm reception to the ITU decision is also expected from Wall Street, which has hitherto been skeptical of the technology. According to Rod Hall, head of European Commtech Research at JP Morgan in London, the ITU classification adds credibility to WiMAX. Hall said that “the inclusion of WiMAX in the IMT-2000 standard is another significant milestone on the road to WiMAX becoming a significant worldwide mobile technology and, yet again, reminds investors that WiMAX is likely here to stay.”