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WiMax-based service adds broadcast TV capability to cell phones
(Electronic Engineering Times Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) WiMax could deliver the last mile of wireless broadband service as an alternative to cable and DSL, beginning with network deployment in 2009, according to executives at last week's Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) Wireless Conference in Las Vegas.
NextWave Wireless Inc. (San Diego) came to CTIA to demonstrate MXtv, a television broadcast capability that can be added to conventional cellular-type WiMax networks.
NextWave also showed WiMax reference-design prototypes, including a pocket digital video recorder (DVR), and announced sampling of a higher-performance, lower-power WiMax/Wi-Fi chip set for OEMs.
At the event, the WiMax Forum said 260 service providers will deploy WiMax services in 110 countries by 2010.
NextWave said such a large market would shift usage patterns toward broadcast services. MXtv, based on PacketVideo embedded multimedia software, is installed in more than 200 million 3G handsets and is used on T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and other wireless networks.
"[MXtv] does not require network operators to install any new radio access network infrastructure; they use the same basestations, the same radio and the same spectrum as before," said Craig Miller, NextWave's vice president of marketing. "WiMax network operators can also deliver multichannel television broadcasts. We estimate 20 or even 40 television channels will be broadcast to WiMax subscribers."
MXtv uses a packet-data structure on video streaming, managing the synchronization issues involved in re-creating a continuous serial stream of video images from batches of separately transmitted data packets. Up to 45 TV channels can be broadcast in 10 MHz of bandwidth, with channel-switching times of under 2 seconds and 30-frame/second full motion at resolutions of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) and 480 x 272 pixels (WQVGA).
Network operators using MXtv could dynamically allocate spectrum based on content availability, time of day and user demand, as well as generate user-specific content, such as personalized radio stations that generate playlists.
NextWave's NW2000 chip set incudes mobile subscriber baseband systems-on-chip and mixed-signal, integrated multiband RF ICs. The company is currently sampling both chips.
The NW2100 baseband chip is an IEEE 802.16e (WiMax) mobile subscriber SoC. The baseband WiMax chip also integrates an IEEE 802.11b/g media access controller (Wi-Fi), a SIM controller, multiple host interfaces and an embedded authentication engine. The baseband chip licenses an ARM9 processor.
The chip set also integrates support for MXtv, which is already delivering TV to mobile users of 3G devices in Europe. The new chip set is intended to extend MXtv support to mobile multimedia devices using 4G WiMax networks.
The multiband RF transceiver chip was optimized to support major WiMax bands and profiles. The company also claims that the NW2200 requires fewer support chips than before due to its direct-conversion architecture and integrated amplifiers and voltage regulators.
At CTIA, NextWave also showed a reference design based on its chip set for use in WiMax-enabled devices, including a pocket DVR, various WiMax handsets, a broadband modem, a music-video recorder/player and other WiMax applications. The company further demonstrated MXtv broadcasts of video from a WiMax basestation to a mobile handset using its PacketVideo solution.
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