One of the buzzwords that will surely be heard over and over at CES this year is wireless – referring to wireless technologies – undoubtedly because of their commercial potential. Within the range of wireless technologies, one new concept that is definitely generating a lot of interest is WiMAX.

What is WiMAX?

Generally speaking, WiMAX is a standard that is defined by the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access Forum, a not-for-profit organization that started in mid-2001. “Basically, WiMAX is an international standard for last mile broadband wireless access,” says Gidi Gilboa, NDS WiMAX TV Product Marketing Manager.

What can be expected to drive the proliferation of WiMAX? Gilboa explains that because it is a standard technology WiMAX will be available to virtually any manufacturer. “This means that development of WiMAX-enabled devices will be less expensive.” Consumers are expected to be interested in WiMAX because it promises to deliver wireless broadband connectivity wherever they may be.

WiMAX will be able to supply “on the go” broadband services at speeds equivalent to those seen with today’s average DSL bandwidth. “Like any broadband IP network it will offer two-way connectivity which is essential for both on-demand and interactive applications,” he says. This is good news for consumers who are accustomed to the limited access services offered via 3G cellular networks.

Evolution to WiMAX TV

It is anticipated that for their initial WiMAX deployment service providers will offer high speed Internet and VOIP. “What’s clear is that WiMAX TV is next,” Gilboa says, “because operators will want to take advantage of their wireless broadband IP network to generate additional revenues. An appealing content offering will be the heart of any value-added service offered by WiMAX operators.”

What will the NDS WiMAX TV solution offer?

“The appeal of mobile TV has already been demonstrated in trials and initial deployments,” Gilboa says. “A service that allows consumers to stay updated and get their favorite video content via personal devices on the go is very popular.”

NDS WiMAX TV will offer WiMAX subscribers the same experience and more. It will leverage network capabilities to support new models like a combination of live multicast TV and on-demand services. Subscribers will be able to use their WiMAX device either to watch the news live or to request an on-demand news broadcast if they missed it live.

Flexibility is at the core of NDS WiMAX TV. In addition to live or on-demand services, subscribers will be able to download content to their mobile devices at the same time that they’re using them. For example, they can work on a laptop while downloading a movie.

Utilizing the two-way capabilities of WiMAX, the NDS solution will also support interactive applications. As an example, while subscribers are watching a news report about an election campaign, they can be polled live, asking them who they would vote for. “In the STB world, this is a relatively complicated application,” Gilboa says, “but with WiMAX TV, voting is similar to requesting a page on the Internet.”

In addition, because WiMAX is delivered from local base stations, it can take interactive applications one step further. Operators can target specific consumers with interactive advertising or services based on their location. They can make it possible for sports fans to watch game highlights during halftime or timeouts because they know which base station is supplying service.

These applications are what make WiMAX TV so attractive to both operators and subscribers.

The future is around the corner

Having already conducted trial projects with Intel, NDS is uniquely positioned to be a leader with WiMAX TV that will be delivered to a variety of CE devices including notebook PCs, PDAs, mobile phones and PMPs. “Starting in 2008,” Gilboa says, “Intel is planning to offer both WiFi and WiMAX connectivity in notebook computers.”

For consumers, this will mean that they will be able to connect to the Internet and receive TV broadcasts on their portable computers. For service providers such as telecommunications companies that want to offer mobile and broadband access, they can expect to reach a greater number of potential subscribers when a large percentage of notebooks are WiMAX-enabled.

The NDS WiMAX TV offering relies on the integration of existing and proven NDS solutions such as VideoGuard, the world leading conditional access and DRM technology, the NDS EPG and NDS XTV DVR technology.

“NDS is helping pave the way to combine sophisticated standards like WiMAX with new TV business models,” Gilboa says. “In the near future it will be one of the technologies that will help subscribers watch any content on any device anywhere and anytime they want.”

For more information:

VideoGuard

NDS @ CES