In what is a significant step towards WiMAX services in Japan, Alcatel has been selected by ACCA Networks Co., one of the country's largest DSL and optical fiber access service providers, to launch a WiMAX trial in the Tokyo area. This latest announcement comes just two months after the company confirmed availability of its Evolium® WiMAX radio solution for commercial network deployments from mid-2006, and four months after the IEEE ratified its new standard.


The WiMAX trial network will be deployed in June 2006 and will be Alcatel's first WiMAX reference in Japan based on 802.16e-2005, the IEEE's universal WiMAX standard. ACCA will, in particular, validate the integration of WiMAX services in its existing DSL portfolio, with a first set of applications including video streaming, high speed Internet access and Voice over IP. The trial is a first step towards offering commercial service and satisfying growing demand for access to advanced broadband Internet applications from any location.

The Evolium® WiMAX end-to-end solution provided for the trial will operate in the 2.5 GHz frequency band and includes base station equipment, indoor Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), mobile terminals and integration services. "We are looking forward to developing a partnership with Alcatel in the area of WiMAX broadband wireless access," said Yoshio Sakata, president of ACCA and head of WiMAX business development. "We selected Alcatel because of their commitment to the IEEE 802.16e-2005 WiMAX standard and their undisputed leadership in providing operators with the most advanced solution. The Alcatel solution is available now and can be easily integrated into our network."