Amsterdam – June 4, 2009 - On June 2-3, 2009, WiMAX professionals from 95 countries converged in Amsterdam for the second annual WiMAX Forum® Global Congress 2009, the operator-driven event for the global market. Out of the 100 speakers present at the show, 43 represented operators, 20 represented vendors, 15 were leading industry analysts, and five were regulators.
“Based on the number of operators here this week and the successes they shared, we are truly seeing the global introduction of WiMAX to consumers in 2009,” said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum. “We are very pleased with the turnout and the seniority of those that were in attendance at the show. With details of rapid network expansion by major existing WiMAX operators and the expected release of WiMAX spectrum in significant geographies across the globe, it is an exciting time to be a part of the wireless broadband industry.”
‘A Vision For The Mobile Internet From Across The Ecosystem’ set the theme for the two day conference. Keynote speakers included Malcolm Johnson, director of Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (ITU), Barry West, president of Clearwire, Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Russian WiMAX operator Yota, and Tony Engberg, office of the CTO and vice president software center of excellence, Eastman Kodak Company. Sessions focused on spectrum and regulation, business models and deployment strategies, applications and service provisions, securing capital and addressing commercial realities, devices, equipment and certification.
“The WiMAX industry has come a long way in the last few years. The show was a good place to exchange ideas and discuss real-life experiences with operators from across the globe,” said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO, Alvarion. “I was impressed by the diverse ways in which service providers are succeeding in taking advantage of WiMAX to pursue ambitious business goals.”
Exhibitors showcased and demonstrated the latest in WiMAX solutions to attendees on the show floor over the two day event. The success of the event was evidenced by ecosystem players signing up for the 2010 global show scheduled in early June. At the close of the exhibition 42% of the 2009 floor space had already been reserved for WiMAX Forum Global Congress 2010 in Amsterdam.
“We would like to thank our sponsors for their support this year,” said Resnick. Platinum show sponsors included Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Huawei and Samsung. Additional sponsors included Ciena, Cisco, MediaTEK, Motorola, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks, WiChorus and WiTech.
WiMAX technology has garnered strong support around the world and the topics discussed at the conference this year reveal the maturity of the ecosystem compared with previous WiMAX events. This week, the WiMAX Forum announced that it was currently tracking 475 deployments in 140 countries.
"WiMAX is a reality in Europe, as we've seen at the show this week," said Peter Ziegelwanger, CTO of Austrian operator WiMAX Telecom. "European WiMAX operators are competing against established 3G mobile operators and if WiMAX can continue to prove itself and succeed in Europe - which is the most competitive mobile broadband market - it can succeed in every region across the globe."
The WiMAX Forum and its event partner, Informa Telecoms & Media, will now turn their attention to the next show in the series, WiMAX Forum Congress Americas. Congress Americas will take place in Fort Lauderdale on December 2-3, 2009.
For more information on the WiMAX Forum Congress Series, please visit www.wimaxforum.org.
About the WiMAX Forum
The WiMAX Forum® is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization formed to certify and promote the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon the harmonized IEEE 802.16e/ETSI HiperMAN standard. A WiMAX Forum goal is to accelerate the introduction of these systems into the marketplace. WiMAX Forum Certified products are interoperable and support broadband fixed, nomadic, portable and mobile services. Along these lines, the WiMAX Forum works closely with service providers and regulators to ensure that WiMAX Forum Certified systems meet customer and government requirements. Through the WiMAX Forum Congress Events Series of global trade shows and events, the WiMAX Forum is committed to furthering education, training and collaboration to expand the reach of the WiMAX ecosystem. For more information, visit the trade show link at www.wimaxforum.org.
"WiMAX Forum," the WiMAX Forum logo and the WiMAX Forum Certified logo are registered trademarks of the WiMAX Forum. "WiMAX," "Mobile WiMAX," "Fixed WiMAX," "WiMAX Certified," and "WiMAX Forum Certified" are trademarks of the WiMAX Forum. Third-party trademarks contained in this document are the property of their respective owners.
