Huawei, Vividwireless deploy Australia's first MIMO Beamforming WiMAX network

Mumbai: Chinese telecom equipment supplier Huawei and Australian wireless broadband operator Vividwireless today said they had launched the world's first WiMAX network to adopt the 4T4R (4 transmitter and 4 receiver) and Beamforming technology, delivering wireless access speeds comparable to most ADSL2+ connections in Perth.

The Perth network is the first phase of Vvividwireless' national WiMAX rollout plan. As vividwireless's exclusive WiMAX network provider, Huawei will deliver additional WiMAX networks in 2010 covering Australia's largest cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

Huawei said the Beamforming technology maximises transmission power so that consumers can receive a better signal and a higher data rate. It also provides a 20-per cent increase in coverage radius.

The Chinese firm said in a statement, "Due to innovative technologies such as Beamforming, MIMO (multi-input multi-output), 4T4R, and interference cancellation, Huawei's WiMAX network provides wider coverage and higher capacity, using fewer base stations, and also utilises energy-saving technology to increase network efficiency. Through the new network, Vividwireless users are able to experience downlink speeds of up to 36 Mb/s and uplink speeds up to 4 Mb/s, even up to three kilometers away from the base station. Huawei's compact Vividwireless USB modem provides consumers with high-speed broadband on-the-go."

Martin Mercer, CEO of Vividwireless, commented: ''Over six short months we have built Australia's most powerful wireless broadband network and assembled all of the pieces of a leading internet business. This remarkable achievement is a testament to skill, experience, team work, and motivation. Support from Huawei, our supplier of network equipment and terminals, was vital to meeting this tight deadline.''

''The Beamforming-enabled Vividwireless network provides users with an exceptional wireless broadband experience, even if they are located some distance from a cell site,'' said Peter Rossi, CTO of Australia, Huawei. ''Huawei's global leadership position in the development of WiMAX standards allows us to offer operators new and innovative technologies like Bbeamforming and 4T4R.''