Alvarion Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALVR), the leading provider of wireless broadband solutions worldwide, today announced that it has signed a strategic agreement with Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to work together to incorporate Intel’s pioneering 802.16a chips into the company’s coming line of next generation, interoperable Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems.
Intel announced its intention to develop IEEE 802.16a-compliant silicon on July 9th. Working in close cooperation, Alvarion is now developing next generation products based on Intel’s chips with the intention of being one of the first to launch a WiMAX-Certified system.
WiMAX promotes a new standard for last-mile wireless technologies designed to provide broadband connectivity to homes, businesses and Wi-Fi “HotSpots”, competing with today’s wireline DSL, cable, and T1 broadband access systems. Until now, the uptake of BWA technologies has been restrained by the lack of interoperability between the equipment of the industry’s many manufacturers and the availability of standards-based, volume components. Led by the initiative of leading Wi-Fi and BWA component suppliers like Intel and Alvarion, interoperable WiMAX-Certified systems built upon standards-based silicon will help broadband wireless access to achieve its full mass-market potential as a price-competitive and flexible alternative to wired broadband solutions.
As leading proponents of WiMAX, both Intel and Alvarion have been active participants in the WiMAX Forum, a non-profit organization whose members are working to promote adoption of the IEEE 802.16a standard and to certify the interoperability of compliant equipment.
“The broadband wireless access market segment is currently fragmented due to a large number of non-interoperable proprietary solutions being offered by small equipment manufacturers,” said Jim Johnson, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Wireless Networking Group. “The market dynamics are expected to significantly change with Intel entering as a volume silicon supplier of standards-based 802.16a silicon and leading companies like Alvarion producing products based on our silicon.”
“WiMAX will become the next major trend in wireless connectivity – a natural step to follow the WiFi (802.11) phenomenon -- and represents an easy and affordable way to provide broadband to homes, businesses and Hot Spots,” said Zvi Slonimsky, CEO of Alvarion. “Alvarion recognizes these needs and has been a pioneer in championing the 802.16a standard for the past two years. We congratulate Intel on leading the revolution with standards-compliant silicon, which will be used as the basis of our Next Generation line of leading, WiMAX-Certified BWA products.”
