PanAmSat announced that it was joining forces with KenCast, Inc. and Trinity Workplace Learning to demonstrate the first satellite-delivered live video to handheld devices. Taking place at the WiMAX Forum Plenary, on July 12 and 13 in Vancouver, Canada, a live video stream from Trinity's facilities in Dallas, TX will be uplinked to PanAmSat's Galaxy 11, then encoded and transcoded by Kencast to handheld devices at the Vancouver trade show. Sponsored by Intel and many others, the WiMAX Forum Plenary is one of the industry's leading events for showcasing the application of WiMAX technology.
"PanAmSat has been the industry leader in promoting and utilizing new and innovative technology, first with compressed digital delivery to cable systems then creating the first high-definition television neighborhood and now WiMAX. Satellite-delivered WiMAX technology is the future for handheld devices such as smartphones and laptops," said Bruce Haymes, senior vice president, Business Development. "WiMAX will also enable the delivery of IPTV throughout the U.S. as well as being integrated into our satellite news gathering or SNG services. We are very excited to show the possibilities of WiMAX on our Galaxy 11 satellite."
The demonstration will provide live delivery of 10 streaming video channels. Two will be provided by Trinity, including a live feed of its Law Enforcement as well as its Fire and Emergency Training Network. By providing wireless broadband access, emergency personnel such as firefighters and police officers can be in immediate contact with the crisis situation.
WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last-mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed, nomadic, portable and, eventually, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. It is expected that WiMAX technology will be incorporated in notebook computers and smartphones in 2006, allowing for urban areas and cities to become "MetroZones" for portable outdoor broadband wireless access.
Formed in June 2001, The WiMAX Forum(TM) is a nonprofit association working to facilitate the deployment of broadband wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.16 standard by helping to ensure the compatibility and inter- operability of broadband wireless access equipment. The WiMAX Forum is the only organization bringing compliance and interoperability to the wireless broadband industry with its testing and certification program, WiMAX Forum Certified (TM). Cetecom labs will be testing products for WiMAX Forum certification beginning July, 2005. PanAmSat is a member of the WiMAX Forum along with many other industry leaders, including Intel, Microsoft, Nokia and Samsung.