Mar

Cisco's WiMax base stations out of business

Communications equipment giant Cisco Systems Inc. has announced that it will stop WiMAX base station development and manufacturing operations and focus on more low-level core IP network business.

2007 years, the Cisco 330 million U.S. dollars acquisition of Navini Networks, has been the latter's WiMAXRAN (RadioAccessNetwork, radio access network) product line, which entered the WiMAX market. Although the first to achieve WiMAX commercial, but in 4G mobile communications competition, is now lagging behind WiMAX is gradually driven by the GSM Alliance LTE.

WiMAX technology, from wireless LAN, behind the push by Intel. The LTE is the extension of mobile communications network developed programs, supporters, including Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and other giants. Because of the current 3G networks, based on almost all major global carriers in the future evolution of the planned 4G choose LTE. In the U.S. market, Verizon company plans to officially launch this year's LTE business, AT & T will be in the next year.

2009, Cisco completed the acquisition of StarentNetworks, the group has for WiMAX and LTE standards for market two products, the company's manufacturing is to connect IP backbone network and wireless access network gateway products. In order to concentrate on the backbone IP network services, Cisco will no longer manufacture the actual WiMAX wireless signal transmission access equipment.

Cisco spokesman last week said that the face of mobile network market, Cisco's strategy has been to provide the wireless signal standard has nothing to do with the packet core and IP networks. After a recent WiMAX to re-examine the business, the company has decided not to design and manufacture of WiMAX base stations and modem products, and to existing customers with a complete set of transfer programs.

media analysis, the original product line Navini is the poor performance of Cisco WiMAX base stations out of one of the reasons the market. The past few years Cisco's WiMAX wireless base station product line have not been able to enter a large-scale WiMAX networking market. Currently the world's largest WiMAX network operators, Clearwire construction by the United States, Cisco is one of its suppliers, but only provide IP network devices without wireless access products. Some analysts said the acquisition last year, Starent's action has demonstrated Cisco's WiMAX begun to shift from the intent of LTE camp, now out of WiMAX base stations, the market and will not be a surprise.