Article Excerpt:
TWST: May we start with a brief introduction to your company?Mr. Guay: We have two main focuses. One is on the fixed WiMAX market known as IEEE 802.16d, and we also have a second team working to develop mobile WiMAX chips knows as 802.16e. The first market fixed is something going on now, we are delivering products now, we have lots of customers, and the revenue is growing fast. While the mobility products is being developed, and we feel the market will really start picking up for us as a chip maker later like mid to end of 2007.
TWST: What roadblocks are you encountering as you transition from fixed
wireless to mobility ?
Mr. Guay: There are really two technologies as I mentioned before, the OFDM
technology is the one adapted for the fixed to portability markets, 802.16d;
while the mobility market, we have decided to adopt OFDMA, which is a different
interface. While the two technologies cannot talk to each other, so the road
block in that case becomes, we probably have to have a bigger chip, where chips
would have to talk to the two-wire interface. And, so, many customers have opted
to do one or the other. But for moving further, we want to have both at the same
time, I would say the cost would be higher and there is no real smooth
transitions from one to the other.
At Wavesat, we feel the two markets will be there forever, and we think the
people who are optimizing the systems and the market for fixed to portability
will appreciate the higher throughput, because there is much less overhead;
while the mobility market users would focus on OFDMA, which is a system that we
are optimizing for mobility. So, of course, you have much more efficiency as a
mobile user, but you loose some throughput. So that is the drawback, you have to
decide on which side you are going to go.
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