Metro buy Reva RFID system

One of the largest retailers in the world will deploy Reva Systems' Tag Acquisition Processor in what Reva say is the largest production-scale rollout of RFID in Europe.

Reva announced Tuesday that Metro Group, an E.U.-based retail company, has begun to install Reva's infrastructure to support current and future radio-frequency identification initiatives in about 200 stores and distribution centers.

"It's a coming of age of RFID use in the retail world in Europe. That's one way I would describe it," Ashley Stephenson, chairman and co-founder of Reva Systems, said in an interview.

Metro Group tested and evaluated RFID products for standards-based performance during pilot programs and chose Reva's Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products to manage its distributed network of RFID installations. The system will provide accurate data and rapid operator feedback, Reva said. Metro stores will use RFID to enhance distribution and receiving, using tags and data to improve efficiency, customer service, and inventory management.

Reva said its products provide a standards-based RFID network infrastructure layer that will help Metro Group move easily from pilot to production. TAP allows users to control all RFID readers in Metro's facilities, to process raw tag data into accurate and useful information, and to determine real tag locations in difficult environments, Reva said.

Metro Group required an infrastructure that eliminates duplicate tag readings and can determine tag relevance in places such as loading docks, where operators need quick and accurate feedback to confirm that goods have been shipped and received.

"By using this technology, we are moving RFID out of the innovation labs and into working retail stores," Gerd Wolfram, managing director of MGI Metro Group Information Technology, said in a statement. "The efficiency, manageability, and performance improvement we've demonstrated with Reva's technology as part of our RFID architecture allows us to realize our plan for utilizing RFID technology to optimize the supply chain."

Metro Group ranks as the fourth-largest retailer in the world. It reported sales of about $60 billion (Euros) in 2006. The company employs about 270,000 people and operates about 2,400 outlets in 30 countries. It owns Metro/Makro Cash & Carry, a cash and carry wholesale chain, Real hypermarkets and Extra supermarkets, Media Markt and Saturn, which sell consumer electronics, and Galeria Kaufhof department stores.

"Metro's decision to roll out RFID using Reva's products validates that standards-based RFID network infrastructure is critical to production-scale implementations," Tom Schuster, CEO of Reva Systems, said in a statement.

The rest here

Vodafone deploys fixed Wimax in Malta

WiMax has finally crept into Vodafone Group's service repertoire. The mobile giant has just launched commercial fixed WiMax services in Malta, and has been busy acquiring licenses, testing, and investing in the technology worldwide. While Vodafone's small-scale Maltese deployment is unlikely to cause meltdown in the mobile network infrastructure community, it could be seen as a shot across the bows of vendors perceived to be dragging their heels over the development of long-term evolution (LTE), or 4G, products -- especially as Vodafone is now involved in WiMax activities in Bahrain, France, Greece, New Zealand, and South Africa, too, either directly or through affiliates. The rest here.

Weaknesses of WiMax

Jha also stressed that Qualcomm’s own flavor of LTE, dubbed Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), being pushed by the 3GPP2 organization and seen as the route to faster data rates as will be based on OFDM and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, but cautioned this does not mean compatibility between the two approaches or with mobile WiMAX. WiMAX, touted as potential rival to developing 3G mobile phone standards, is a bone of contention with Jha, and Qualcomm. “The bottom line is we don’t think it is exceptional technology and the business case is not convincing either.”

“As it stands, the standard is flawed; there are poor control channel structures, and the system will not do latency or hand off. Then there is the spectral efficiency. There are so many versions and radios that have to be supported – where is the scale, where is the economy, where is the ubiquity coming from? And if there is one thing that irks me more than anything about what its proponents and analysts say, it is that WiMax is and will be cheaper to deploy for an IP network than cellular. I have yet to understand why that should be so. From Release 7 on there is full support for IP and backhaul in HSDPA and HSPA, not to mention HSPAplus.”

- from EEtimes.eu, June 4 2007

WiMAX Forum Designates First North American-based Certification Lab

The WiMAX Forum® announced the first North America-based certification test lab during the opening address at the WiMAX Forum Member Conference in Madrid, Spain. Established and operated by the WiMAX Forum’s lead certification testing partner, AT4 wireless Inc., the lab will be located in Virginia and is due to open this October. The North America-based lab becomes one of five test labs for WiMAX Forum Certified™ products worldwide.

"Establishing a WiMAX Forum designated test facility in North America is very important strategically because the WiMAX Forum and key Telecommunications Industry Forums are located in the US," said Luis Fernando Martinez, general director of AT4 wireless. “We plan to quickly open a lab in the United States to support global certification testing for both Fixed and Mobile WiMAX devices.”

The lab will initially be staffed by up to 25-30 employees and will conduct WiMAX Forum certification testing and radiated performance testing (RPT). AT4 wireless has the responsibility to develop and replicate the certification test beds to match other test beds globally so that interoperability for all WiMAX Forum Certified devices is assured. WiMAX Forum members in the Americas may submit devices for certification at the Virginia facility in October.

“A US-based lab is important to help meet the needs of member companies as the demand for mobile certification testing increases in the US market,” said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum. “We have great confidence in AT4 wireless and know they will deliver the essential task of ensuring WiMAX Forum Certified products are interoperable and ready for commercial deployment.”

In the future, the North America lab may provide capabilities to support the convergence of emerging wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi with WiMAX™ and Bluetooth with WiMAX.

The WiMAX Forum plans to have five certification test labs located in the US, Europe, China, Korea and Taiwan by end of the 2007.

MIMO and Smart antennas explained

MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output: use space-time diversity, transmitting different portions of the data from different antennas.

Smart antenna: targeted beamforming to focus antenna signal on a moving user.

details here, from High Frequency Mag, June 2007

Cree's GaN Wimax amps

Cree release 4 new broadband amps for WiMax market.

The advantage of GaN is that it allows for broader band performance.

- from High Frequency Mag, June 2007

LNAs for Wireless Infrastructure from Sirenza

Here

Two new LNAs released by Sirenza, 400-3000MHz, using E-mode PHEMT technology.

Future Outlook for RF Industry

Here

From rfglobalnet.com

Agilent WiMax test brochure

Here

Agilent Wireless standards poster

Here

Agilent Wimax poster

Here

Tyco Electronics announced a strategic alliance with OATSystems to provide a series of radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions to a variety of vertical markets that include aerospace and defense, transportation, and industrial segments. - MJ Journal, June 14 2007

Fri, June 15. 2007

Source: Sirenza Microdevices

Sirenza Microdevices announced the production release of two new additions to Sirenza’s line of high performance products for Mobile WiMAX (802.16 e) and WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) applications. The SZM2166Z and SZM3166Z are new, high linearity power amplifiers increasing the linear power for WiMAX and WiFi Terminals to over +27 dBm, enabling increased range and higher data throughput in consumer terminals and access points.

“Sirenza’s new SZM2166Z and SZM3166Z leverage Sirenza’s extensive experience in developing high power amplifiers, extending our portfolio of leading edge products for the Mobile WiMAX and WiFi markets,” said Jim Spear, Sirenza’s strategic business unit director for wireless access products. “Both devices are optimized to provide the highest level of linear power available thereby allowing our customers to extend the coverage range and increase data rates of Mobile WiMAX and WiFi terminals and access points.”

Produced with InGaP HBT technology, the SZM2166Z operates over the full 2.3 to 2.7 GHz frequency range with 36 dB of gain and provides over +27 dBm of linear power at 2.5 percent EVM. The SZM3166Z operates over the 3.3 to 3.8 GHz frequency band with 35 dB gain and also provides +27 dBm of linear power at 2.5 percent EVM.

Both products operate from a single positive supply and feature an adjustable on chip active bias circuit providing the designer with the flexibility to optimize performance for the specific application. Both products also feature power up/power down control to save power during receive modes and an on chip power detector. The devices are housed in a low cost surface-mount 6x6 QFN package, and have an ESD rating of class 1C (1KV HBM) in accordance with Sirenza’s 3R® program for reliable, rugged and robust performance.

The SZM2166Z and SZM3166 are available for immediate shipment in a RoHS-compliant, lead-free package.

WiMAX In Europe Facing A Brighter Future Where Technology-Neutral Spectrum Is Available 6/20/2007 London -- WiMAX networks in Europe are being deployed in most countries using spectrum at 3.5 GHz. However these are mostly confined to offering fixed wireless services. The mobile version of WiMAX (IEEE802.16e-2005) is also being deployed at 3.5 GHz and has been trialed in The Netherlands using 2.6 GHz spectrum. This latter is earmarked as the UMTS extension band for 3G operators to use.

The European Commission and several national regulators, including Norway, Sweden, and the UK, want the situation to change, as does the WiMAX Forum. The ITU has now also agreed that OFDM-based technologies should be included in the IMT2000 standard. This will place mobile WiMAX on the same footing as 3G mobile when it comes to using the 3G extension bands and, potentially, existing 3G bands.

“This is a good sign for technology neutrality becoming the accepted approach for spectrum auctions in the future,” says ABI Research analyst Ian Cox. “Mobile WiMAX products will start to appear in 2007 and can be used in unpaired spectrum, giving them an opportunity not available to UMTS.”

Cox further comments that, “Mobile WiMAX could compete in the market against 3G, HSPA, HSPA+ and LTE, and provide an entry path currently only available to incumbent operators.”

Meanwhile fixed WiMAX applications are already being deployed to complement and compete with DSL and cable networks in rural and other underserved areas, particularly in the new EU member states.

For users, says Cox, WiMAX will enable broadband services, including VoIP, to be offered over SIP-enabled networks. All services will be IP-based, offering high data rates and low latency, along with mobile network data speeds comparable to those of fixed networks.

For vendors, WiMAX will allow development of a new market to replace declining 3G revenues.

A new ABI Research Brief, “WiMAX in Europe” reviews the European market for WiMAX. It examines the current use of 3.5 GHz spectrum along with the regulatory situation and prospects for the future. It forms part of ABI Research’s Mobile Broadband Research Service, which also includes Research Reports, other Research Briefs, Market Data, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support.

SOURCE: ABI Research

From RFGlobalnet