WiMAX to get IMT-2000 recognition

The move for WiMAX to be recognised as an IMT-2000 technology is now on the fast track, according to a report from the WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA).

In late January, the ITU Working Party 8F convened in Cameroon to discuss “IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000”.

WiSOA said that the general consensus from delegates at the meeting is that WiMAX – or more specifically, IP-OFDMA (IP Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) as used by the IEEE 802.16e mobility standard – will soon become recognised as an IMT-2000 technology.

IMT-2000 typically defines globally recognised 3G technologies allowed to operate in the IMT-defined radio bands. These frequencies are presently the home of technologies including WCDMA, cdma2000, TD-CDMA and EDGE.

One of the main obstacles to WiMAX being recognised as an IMT-2000 technology is fierce dispute from the mobile operator community, which argues the band should be reserved for 3G technologies only.

The final decision to include WiMAX in the IMT-2000 family is scheduled for the meeting of the World Radio Conference in October. But to achieve its aim the proposal will also need the full support of the ITU 8F group at its next meeting in Kyoto in May.