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TVA, Samsung start WiMax tests(BNamericas.com Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Brazilian cable TV company TVA Sistema de Televiso and Korean electronics company Samsung have begun testing WiMax wireless communications in So Paulo, the companies said in a statement. The companies first announced their partnership five months ago and intend to launch the service commercially by the end of 2006. Investment figures were not revealed. The objective of the project is to sell not only WiMax access but also the applications that will sit on top of the service, TVA's strategic development and technology director Virglio Amaral said. According to Amaral, the bandwidth provided to each client will depend on the demand required by that client, unlike other WiMax services which tend to offer the same bandwidth to all clients. The companies will carry out tests for data transfer of up to 3Mbps per user, for use from both fixed and mobile devices, testing also for moving access at up to 120km/h. Samsung will produce the communication towers, software and a line of end-user devices designed specifically for this service. The idea is for notebooks and PDAs to be used for connection and eventually devices with convergent communications such as cell phones. In Brazil, the frequency band assigned for WiMax is 3.5Ghz. TVA plans to offer the service using its multi-channel multipoint distribution service (MMDS) license that it currently uses for providing paid television services. In December, TVA signed an agreement with Brazil's communications minister Hlio Costa to help establish a WiMax pilot project designed to support the government's universal access initiative Gesac. |