UQ Communications has announced that it has achieved downlink transmission speeds of over 100Mbps in what it describes as the world’s first WiMAX 2 field trial. The pilot, which is being held in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, is in cooperation with Samsung Electronics and uses 20MHz of spectrum in the 2.6GHz band. WiMAX 2 is based on the IEEE802.16m standard, as approved by the WiMAX Forum in May 2011. IEEE802.16m has been proposed as an IMT-Advanced technology to the International Telecommunication Union, and is expected to be approved next year. UQ expects to deploy WiMAX 2 commercially from 2013.
In a separate, but related, announcement UQ Communications has revealed that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysian WiMAX operator YTL Communications to increase collaboration. Under the MoU, UQ and YTL plan to work together on business and technical aspects with the aim of creating a stronger WiMAX ecosystem.