ECS and Comsys have collaborated to produce an EDGE/WIMAX USB dongle device that doubles up as a mobile phone. Called U170 eMAX, the two companies call the product an “entirely new class of solution”, designed especially for the “connected youth/student sector”.

ECS’ U170 eMAX device, which uses Comsys’ CM1125 multimode WiMAX/EDGE/GSM baseband chipset, can be connected to any notebook/laptop computer to provide WiMAX functionality for internet/data service. When detached from the computer it can function as a mobile phone for voice and SMS service.

In addition to providing mobile WiMAX and GSM functionality, the CM1125 chip supports service continuity for converged mobile WiMAX/GSM-EDGE operators using standard MIP and IMS/VCC solutions.

“Although WiMAX operators are currently focused on data applications, they do understand the need for voice,” says Ehud Reshef, WiMAX product marketing director of Comsys Mobile. “ECS EliteGroup’s vision in developing the U170 will provide an enormous boost for the WiMAX operators’ business case by helping to open up new consumer markets for WiMAX.”

The U170 eMax is expected to be commercially available early in May 2009, and ECS will be supplying the device to several WiMAX operators in Taiwan as well as promoting it to WiMAX operators elsewhere in Asia, USA and emerging markets.

Last month, ECS and Comsys introduced its first dual-mode mobile WiMAX/EDGE USB dongle – the S370 Personal Internet Communicator, which also integrates Comsys’ ComMAX CM1125 multimode mobile WiMAX/EDGE baseband processor.

Comsys is also working on its next-generation ComMAX solution, which is focused on LTE, but it is not currently looking at a 4G multimode architecture that seeks to support both LTE AND WIMAX as some chipset suppliers are doing. “Due to the different operators deploying WiMAX and LTE, we currently do not see the need for a WiMAX/LTE multimode solution,” Reshef told WiMAX Vision.