A few announcements have been made over the last couple of days about new broadband wireless deployments. Two come from Alvarion, including one where Telekom Serbia will build networks to support voice and data in suburban and rural Serbia. Closer to home, Alvarion also announced that its gear will supply a broadband wireless backbone network in Maryland, connecting counties that are part of a project connecting libraries and supplying mobile wireless for public safety workers.
In other broadband wireless news, Redline said that its equipment will provide backhaul for a wireless network being built in a region of Manitoba, Canada. Wi-LAN, a Calgary, Canada-based supplier, said that its products are being used by various customers, including a large ISP, in Malaysia. AirRover Wi-Fi, a company based in Baton Rouge, La., signed an agreement in principal to build city-wide mesh Wi-Fi networks in a couple of cities in the Philippines.
It must be refreshing for vendors to be making these kinds of sales, even before they are actually selling certified WiMax gear. There has been a fear that customers would delay buying decisions as they wait for certified WiMax gear. Perhaps the buzz around WiMax has generally helped to legitimatize broadband wireless so that some customers decide it will pay off for them to deploy now rather than wait for standard gear.