Samsung stresses need to seed WiMax market with devices early

Though much more an ultra-mobile computer than a traditional handset, Samsung's handset division developed the Mondi with the aim of creating a uniquely mobile data device rather than a scaled-down laptop, Chung said. The 4.3-inch touch screen tablet has a slide-out keyboard, runs on the Windows Mobile operating system and makes heavy use of widget applications and the powerful Opera 9.5 browser. Though the device has no traditional voice communications chip—it supports voice through Skype and other VoIP services—Chung said the Mondi was ultimately a mobile device.

"This is a natural evolution for the handset division, which has grown from making voice-only types of devices to data-centric devices," Chung said. While the computer division is working in parallel, developing WiMax-embedded laptops and netbooks, the Mondi needed to be built on a mobility foundation, not a computing one, Chung said. The two divisions, Chung said, "have different synergies."

WIMAX CONNECTS OBAMA INAUGURATION

On the network side, Samsung has already deployed 1200-plus WiMax base stations in its contract markets on the eastern seaboard, Chung said. In addition to the 300 sites already live in Baltimore, Samsung has 500 base stations deployed in Washington, DC; 240 in Philadelphia; and 200 in Boston. It is also in the middle of a network buildout in Dallas-Fort Worth, which Samsung took over from rival vendor Nokia Siemens Networks last year.

Of those networks, Clearwire has announced plans to turn up Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth along with at least six other markets this year. Washington, Boston and Samsung's crown-jewel contract, New York, will go live in 2010. Washington's later launch date is the biggest surprise since it and Baltimore were the first markets Samsung began working in 2007. While the radio network is fully built in Washington, Clearwire and Samsung have encountered numerous problems finding adequate backhaul links. The city is served primarily by T-1 lines from Verizon, which simply aren't enough to support the capacity demands of a full-scale commercial launch. The access network, however, is functioning perfectly, Chung said. Clearwire has allowed government agencies to use the WiMax service during special events, including President Obama's inauguration in January. Chung noted the only place in DC Samsung hasn't been able to cover is the White House, for national security reasons, but during the inauguration, Samsung and Clearwire rolled out a portable WiMax cell to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to provide coverage for the event and festivities.