Packaged VoIP-over-WiMAX solution in the works

A quartet of telecom companies are working together to build a VoIP-over-WiMAX solution for service providers. AudioCodes is bringing its media gateway. CableMatrix has QoS and policy management covered. Emergent does session border control, and VCom does the WiMAX access. The companies demonstrated the suite this week at the Globalcomm trade show. A VCom official says they'll be doing trials starting this summer, probably in Canada.

This partnership makes sense. VoIP-over-WiMAX market is maturing, with AT&T and Covad, among others, investing heavily in WiMAX implementations with the hope of lowering metro infrastructure costs. Covad's latest step in this direction was to finalize the acquisition of NextWeb, a fixed wireless broadband provider offering "pre-WiMAX" solutions in 175 cities across California and Nevada. The deal closed in February. Look for more major carriers to acquire WiMAX talent and technology in the near future.