Alvarion develops pre-WiMax Micro base station

Alvarion this week unveiled a new micro base station in its BreezeMax line, forging ahead with its plans to commercialize its pre-certified WiMax equipment while the WiMax certification process bogs down.

The BreezeMax 3500 operates at 3.5 GHz unlicensed frequencies and is comprised of an indoor stand-alone module that connects to an outdoor radio. Alvarion officials said the product is targeted at rural or remote areas--basically as a compliment to its full-sized urban base station launched last June.

Built to specifications laid out by the IEEE 802.16-2004 (formerly 802.16d) and WiMax Forum's interoperability requirements, BreezeMax has been awaiting the certification trials the WiMax forum has pushed back until this summer. Until completed no vendor can label their equipment WiMax, and many vendors are chomping at the bit to complete certification so they can fully commercialize their products. Alvarion claims that its BreezeMax will be its final WiMax product, requiring only software fine-tuning to meet standards requirements and get certification. Until the Forum's plugfest and the conclusions of lab tests this summer, Alvarion has decided to push the BreezeMax line under the "WiMax ready" banner.