NEC joins 3.5GHz WiMAX approval band

The WiMAX Forum has given its seal of approval to ‘Pasowings’, the 3.5GHz 802.16e base station manufactured by NEC.

NEC joins a growing band of major telecom suppliers who have had WiMAX products certified by the WiMAX Forum at 3.5GHz in recent weeks. Alcatel-Lucent and Alvarion each announced at February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that they had received the WiMAX Forum seal of approval for their respective 3.5GHz 802.16e base stations. Samsung and ZTE made similar WiMAX Forum certification announcements on their respective 3.5GHz products only a few weeks prior to that.

NEC claims it is playing a key role in the ongoing work to maintain a high standard of integration within the WiMAX market, which includes the supply of equipment and the testing of resources in the early phases of the certification process. NEC says it is also working closely with lead certification labs in Asia Pacific and Europe as part of its steady commitment to continue WiMAX development.

“Our ultimate goal is to promote and accelerate the introduction of wireless broadband through compatible and interoperable broadband wireless products. Each newly certified product faces a stringent suite of interoperability tests, which allows the WiMAX Forum to ensure that different vendor systems work seamlessly with one another, aiding a first class, global WiMAX ecosystem,” said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, in a prepared statement. “NEC’s strides in certification set an example for the WiMAX industry and provide operators with the access to WiMAX Forum Certified products they need to make their networks a success.”