PORTLAND (WiMAX Day). The WiMAX Forum announced it is adding the 700 MHz frequency band to its technology roadmap in response to the increased interest from service providers who are choosing WiMAX as their next generation mobile broadband technology.

Work on the technical specifications for 700 MHz and WiMAX Forum certification is already underway in the Forum’s working groups. The published specifications will be unveiled as they are completed and should support both TDD and FDD certification profiles.

“The 700 MHz spectrum is set to become a key spectrum band globally and many administrations are now considering spectrum arrangements in the band,” said WiMAX Forum President Ron Resnick Resnick during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, this week. “Interest in WiMAX deployments is also reinforced now that IEEE 802.16e is part of the IMT-2000 family of standards and certified products are becoming available. We will continue to explore and push the limits of the technology to best meet the industry’s needs,” he added.

And in order to meet the anticipated certification process, the Forum is expanding their network of labs. Currently they are located in China, Korea, Spain, the United States, and Taiwan, but additional labs are being constructed in Brazil, India and Japan.