Samsung tests WiBro technology

Samsung pushed ahead with its pursuit of WiMAX alternative WiBro today, claiming it has demonstrated hand-off from base station to base station on a moving bus traveling at 60 kilometers per hour.

WiBro is a technology based on the IEEE 802.16e standard similar to the Mobile WiMAX standard being pursued by the WiMAX Forum. However, while Mobile WiMAX is still in the standardization debate, the Korean government and several Korean vendors like Samsung and LG have pushed forward with its home-grown alternative, creating their own standards process and allotting 100 MHz of spectrum in South Korean for its deployment.

The standard, however, is limited to Korea and its reach beyond that market depends on how far Samsung and LG can run with the technology. While Korean vendors are looking to get a jump on the Mobile WiMAX market, most industry experts believe that Samsung and other WiBro proponents will try to get elements of WiBro introduced in the final Mobile WiMAX standard. The final specifications of both WiBro and WiMAX are expected to be similar, and Korean vendors have joined the WiMAX Forum to ensure that the two technologies are at least interoperable.

The first round of WiBro technology is expected to be nomadic, meaning that CPEs will be portable, but not truly mobile. But with Samsung’s new developments on hand-over, the technology may become truly mobile, offering the 20 Mb/s to 30 Mb/s at speeds up to 120 km/h WiBro enthusiasts are touting.