Mobile WiMAX Proves Its Worth – The Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group Releases Results Of UK’s First End-To-End Live Trials

London – 22nd July 2009 – The Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group (M-WAG) – a collaboration of companies demonstrating the business case for mobile WiMAX – today announces the initial findings of the UK’s first live end-to-end 2.5GHz Mobile WiMAX trials that took place in Maidstone, Kent from 2008 through 2009. Focusing on four usage scenarios; public safety, CCTV monitoring, building inspection and workforce mobility, the results show that mobile WiMAX provides benefits over current technologies and processes as well as presenting new opportunities for service improvement and cost savings.

The trials, which covered 7.5 square kilometres from the centre of Maidstone, saw Mobile WiMAX deployments with Kent Fire & Rescue Service and Maidstone Borough Council.

For the public safety scenario, M-WAG worked on providing real-time video from accident scenes using Mobile WiMAX, enabling emergency services to develop better strategies for tackling situations while also saving time by delivering critical information live to teams while on their way to incidents.

The CCTV trial focused on enabling faster, more tactical deployment of mobile CCTV cameras to respond to short term needs while reducing the overall running costs. The remote building site inspection trial tested mobile WiMAX’s suitability to stream high-quality real-time video of structural issues – often requiring the capture of minute details – between locations while the workforce mobility scenario looked at the potential benefits of equipping the Council’s anti-social behaviour / violent crime reduction team with video recording devices for victim and witness interviews rather than still cameras and notebooks.

Chris Woodward IT Technical Services Manger, Maidstone Borough Council commented: “The trials demonstrated the flexibility that Mobile WiMAX offers. It’s clear that there are specific benefits to be gained from deploying Mobile WiMAX across a range of public service scenarios and we’re pleased that Maidstone played a role in providing proof of concept for the technology. We look forward to seeing how the findings and experiences help make the UK’s first commercial deployment of Mobile WiMAX a reality.”

Kerl Haslam, Chair of Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group, said: “The Maidstone trials clearly demonstrate that mobile WiMAX offers considerable benefits and savings across a range of real-life scenarios. From real-time video streaming to cost effective CCTV deployments, the business case for a live network operating with real world applications has been established and we look forward to taking these results out into the market to bring on-board the necessary business partners who can create commercial mobile WiMAX networks.”

M-WAG partners involved in the trial included MLL Telecom, responsible for the design, integration and management of the WiMAX network and Alvarion whose Mobile WiMAX BreezeMAX base stations were positioned in the centre of Maidstone.

The trials have demonstrated a need for better applications to implement the process improvements raised for the various scenarios. There is also a need for more integrated and robust handheld devices but this is understandable considering the nascent nature of the mobile WiMAX industry.

A copy of the full report – written by Mott MacDonald – can be requested from www.mwaguk.com

About mobile WiMAX

Mobile WiMAX is an advanced technology that provides fast, robust and secure mobile broadband connectivity at a much lower cost than alternatives, enabling traditionally fixed-line only applications to become mobile. The Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group was conceived to prove the technology chain required for mobile WiMAX roll-out in the UK. With the announcement of user trials in Maidstone, the group has moved one step closer to assembling the multi-vendor end-to-end supply chain ahead of Ofcom’s impending spectrum auction.

About the Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group

The Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group (M-WAG) is a formal collaboration of companies whose overall aim is to demonstrate the business case for true wireless broadband over WiMAX. M-WAG is focused on promoting the national deployment of WiMAX across the UK and Ireland to deliver a mobile broadband experience.

The group currently consists of eight members; Alvarion, Bluenowhere, EADS, MLL, Mobile Sense, Mott MacDonald, a and Urban WiMAX. These companies have formed a supply chain that has already delivered a robust WiMAX environment that has been tested via a series of showcases and trials.

About the Mobile WiMAX Acceleration Group Members

Alvarion
Alvarion (NASDAQ: ALVR) is the largest WiMAX pure-player with the most extensive WiMAX customer base and over 250 commercial deployments around the globe. Committed to growing the WiMAX market, the company offers solutions for a wide range of frequency bands supporting a variety of business cases. Through its OPEN WiMAX strategy, superior IP and OFDMA know-how, and ability to deploy end-to-end turnkey WiMAX projects, Alvarion is shaping the new wireless broadband experience. The MWAG trials have been facilitated by Alvarion’s Mobile WiMAX BreezeMAX base stations which communicate with different end-user devices including Indoor CPEs (customer premise equipment), laptops equipped with Mobile WiMAX PCMCIA cards and USB Dongles (www.alvarion.com)

Bluenowhere
Bluenowhere is an early stage wholesale wireless network operator working to deploy a WiMAX network to serve local government and business communities with high quality fixed and nomadic broadband connectivity. Bluenowhere led the trials with Maidstone Borough Council, including the CCTV, Building Control, and Community Safety trials. (www.bluenowhere.net)

EADS
EADS Defence and Security, the leading provider of Secure Communications and Information Assurance solutions to governments worldwide. EADS led the WiMAX trial with Kent Fire & Rescue Service to demonstrate the benefits and capability for real-time video in incident coordination. (http://www.eadsds.com/)

MLL
MLL Telecom specializes in delivering carrier-grade wireless and fixed connectivity that allows customers to effectively integrate all locations on their network. The company delivers fully managed 24×7 network services and currently manages more than 5000 links nationwide. (www.mlltelecom.co.uk)

Mobile Sense
Mobile-Sense is a mobile payment service established in 2002 by Kerl Haslam, Operating under the “Beem” Brand they offer a service, which is independent of bank, network, handset, age, technology and location, the account allows users to send money with the ease of a text message. (http://www.beemme.co.uk/ & http://www.mobile-sense.com/)

Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is a £1bn global management, engineering and development consultancy, and has been responsible for collating the technical and user experience data from the trials and compiling the independent trial report. (www.mottmac.com)

Urban WiMAX
Urban Wimax provides businesses with secure, cost effective, high quality connections for data, voice and video. Founded in 2004 by CEO Sasha Williamson, Urban WiMAX is exploiting the standards-based wide area network technology, WiMAX. The company is offering competitive symmetric voice and data services in the currently un-served 2 – 10Mb range to businesses in London.

For more information contact:

Nikki Burns, Mobile Sense

Tel: +44 7976 206356

Email: nikki.burns {at} mobile-sense(.)com

Shiri Blatt, Weber Shandwick

Tel: +44 207 067 0532

Email: sblatt {at} webershandwick(.)com