| KnowingAbout.com 2006-07-29, 7:11 pm |
| Israel-based start-up Trans Con Mobile this week announced that it has
developed, built and tested the infrastructure and handsets for a
wireless voice-over-IP (VoIP) system that will let operators establish
"cellular-like" networks in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band.
Utilizing patent-pending technology tested in Israel, Trans Con
Mobile's Wi-Fi based network features base stations with a special
antenna, proprietary software and handsets with strong reception
qualities to deliver signals 1.4-1.6 miles in open areas. Trans Con
Mobile also uses higher power outputs than typical Wi-Fi networks, but
the power levels remain within FCC guidelines.
"The transmission power and the reception sensitivity are
dramatically higher than what is common in Wi-Fi phones that you can
find on the market today," Trans Con Mobile Director Haim Yashar
said.
Trans Con Mobile Chairman Avi Shani said the company's software
handles handoffs in a manner that meets current industry
standards-"it is seamless; the subscriber won't feel a
thing"-even when traveling a speeds of more 80 miles per hour.
Although the base-station footprint is more similar to a cellular
solution than a typical wide-area Wi-Fi network, the price points for
entering the market via a Trans Con Mobile system are dramatically less
than the cellular model, Shani said.
"It's much easier to build, much quicker to build and much cheaper
to build-there's no need to buy spectrum and no preparation for the
tender, which will cost each company about $20-25 million in
paperwork," Shani said in an interview with MRT.
Indeed, compared to the $350,000 pricetag typically associated with a
GSM or CDMA base station and power generator, the cost of a similar
functioning Trans Con Mobile base station is a "very, very small
amount of money-it's almost a joke," Shani said. "And we are
still reducing the price; we are finding components that reduce the
price."
Similarly, the Trans Con Mobile handsets will be "much, much
cheaper" to build than cellular phones, Shani said. From a
technological standpoint, the Trans Con Mobile devices will be
technologically superior to those on the market today, he said.
"It's like comparing a 15th-century vessel to a 21st-century
vessel," Shani said. "Just to give you an example, the battery
power on a regular WiFi phone lasts a maximum of 30 minutes and then
you have to recharge-and the distance is 30 feet. Our battery power
lasts 6 hours talk time and 120 hours standby. And we achieved it
through software, not a special battery. It's obviously a bigger
battery, but you don't see it on the handset, because we wanted to
keep the handset the same size as a regular cellular phone."
Currently seeking investors, Trans Con Mobile has completed production
design for its base stations and the design of the handsets-the
company has used prototypes for testing-is being finalized, Shani
said.
Trans Con Mobile's first-generation system will provide only VoIP
service, but the company already is working on a next-generation system
that will include data and e-mail features. Those phones also will be
dual-band devices, so users can access a GSM network where WiFi is not
available.
Shani said Trans Con Mobile initially will target early adopters-such
as students-but plans to pursue the enterprise market, as well.
Source : http://www.knowingabout.com/wimax/
Contact : http://www.knowingabout.com/
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