Motorola Inc., a global leader in wireless communications and mobility, announced its commitment to developing WiMAX in Asia Pacific at the Wireless Broadband Week 2005 conference held in Singapore October 18-19.

Motorola's commitment to develop WiMAX in Asia Pacific will be backed by its global drive to provide operators with improved wireless broadband networks through increased R&D, business alignment and industry alliances. Motorola is focusing its efforts on developing WiMAX 802.16e solutions that provide mobility as well as fixed and nomadic access.

WiMAX 802.16e has the potential to deliver broadband network services that complement cellular and wireline offerings and enable telecommunications convergence. Jay Andersen, vice president of sales and operations for Motorola Networks in Asia, said Motorola's initiatives will be focused on cultivating WiMAX 802.16e awareness among operators, carriers, regulators, enterprises and end users in Asia Pacific.

"We are working closely with our customers in the region to explore trials for MOTOwi4 WiMAX 802.16e solutions as they are increasingly asking for ubiquitous broadband access," he said. "With our experience and expertise in delivering world class telecommunications solutions and services, we are poised to enable carriers and operators to provide broadband services cost-effectively."

Launched globally on 25 July 2005, Motorola's MOTOwi4 consists of a portfolio of access technologies, customer premise equipment, mobile devices and services. The MOTOwi4 WiMAX solutions include a "light infrastructure" solution for rural areas and developing countries that offers cost effective deployment and ownership. The MOTOwi4 portfolio also includes Motorola's Canopy(TM) solution that provides fixed wireless service for more than 200 operators worldwide.

In Asia Pacific, MOTOwi4 offers solutions that are relevant to operators in mature markets such as Singapore and Australia as a cost-effective last-mile connection to deliver broadband access to businesses and residential homes. It is also relevant in metro areas to deliver broadband access beyond WiFi zones.

Operators in emerging markets such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam can deploy MOTOwi4 solutions to cost-effectively broaden network coverage as well as to deliver broadband voice, data and video services such as distance learning, video on demand and real time medical support.

Dan Coombes, senior vice president of Wireless Broadband Networks and chief technology officer for Motorola's Networks, Motorola, Inc., said that WiMAX is a firm step towards achieving ubiquitous communication. "MOTOwi4 WiMAX solutions provide many of the key attributes of 4G networks, allowing operators to deliver very high speed fixed and mobile wireless broadband services very economically. With its OFDM-based broadband radio interface, and flat, all-IP architecture, Asian operators can take advantage of advances in next generation wireless network cores, based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), to make good on Motorola's vision of seamless mobility, with multi-media, multi-access devices moving seamlessly between WiMAX, WiFi, wireline and cellular networks."

WiMAX, with an estimated addressable global market for fixed and mobile broadband solutions of up to USD$1 billion in 2007 and USD$4 billion by 2010 according to Maravedis, is one of the fastest growing emerging sectors within the world's telecommunications industry. Maravedis is a research and analysis firm focusing on broadband wireless access technologies.