Beceem's BCS500 4G modem splices WiMAX and LTE into one chip, sampling later this year

When we were told market research pointed to WiMAX and LTE standards for 4G connectivity coexisting, we didn't expect they'd do it quite so closely. Beceem, the maker of the WiMAX chips inside "every device in Clearwire's network," is working on a 4G modem that can handle both WiMAX and LTE, with the added extra of being able to move seamlessly between the two networks in order to find the best signal possible. The mashup of the two standards makes sense in light of all the equivocation from Clearwire and Sprint on the subject of which one they'd prefer, and would be a more than welcome simplification of our collective 4G future. Anyhow, the latest development is that Beceem and Motorola are working to pair the BCS500 to the latter's WiMAX 4G infrastructure, with the first dual-mode chips set to start sampling "later this year" and hit mass production in early 2011.

[cherrybomb88 Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:07AM]

Great idea benifitting everybody

[PlatinumSkeet Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:26AM]

@cherrybomb88

Expect to see it in most Blackberrys

[skyblaze Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:09AM]

love makes the world go round

[Mightydh Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:12AM]

Good! Now give me a $500 phone that will allow me to have the cell companies "auction" off service and we will be in for a win! I'm looking at you google, with your patent on this type of application.

[reallynotnick Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:03PM]

@Mightydh
I would love to be able to buy a decent smart phone for like $300-$350 totally unlocked that could be used on any carrier, the system they have now is ridiculous. Even if I get an unlocked phone I can't use it on any network here in the states, about the best you can do is switch between ATT and T-Mobile if you don't care about 3G data.

[Mightydh Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:06PM]

@reallynotnick What I'm talking about it have all 4 carriers compete! Say...monthly.

Jan: tmobile offers me a $30 plan
Feb: ATT beats that plan by $2
Mar: Verizon comes in and beats by another $3.

And so on until supply = demand. Not the collusion we have in the states. And hopefully with Skype, no worrying about porting phone numbers.

[reallynotnick Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:47PM]

@Mightydh
Yeah, we're totally on the same page. If it were easier to move from carrier to carrier, they should have to cut price to compete, but they could always keep prices artificially high. Look at how well they are doing with their high prices right now.

[MRCUR Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:31PM]

This is great. We can finally have the best of both 4G technologies.

[Mitch Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:41PM]

I have a question I hope someone here can answer.... Are SIM cards not available on CDMA networks because they don't work with them? Also will SIM cards be used by Verizon when there LTE network is released? I guess my question is what are the requirements of a SIM card, is it something the company chooses to use or do certain types of networks have to have them?

[Jacob1 Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:40PM]

@Mitch "Are SIM cards not available on CDMA networks because they don't work with them?"

correct. They use the device's serial number instead of SIM cards.

"Also will SIM cards be used by Verizon when there LTE network is released?"

If LTE requires SIM cards, then Verizon will have to use them. By the way, Verizon already has SIM cards for their international phones (the ones that have both GSM and CDMA).

[Mitch Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:44PM]

@Jacob1
Thank you. I'm guessing we will still have issues with different companies using different frequencies?

[treats Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:20PM]

Is the US this does nothing and most of EU. LTE is backwards compatible to UMTS(3G) and EDGE, and the UICC used also can support CDMA. Wimax works with Wimax, which is why Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are all following the 3GPP and using LTE. All of the big EU, and Asia carriers(besides China) is going to use LTE, even S Korea is switching to it.

All of the AT&T 3G stations they add in 2010 can be upgraded to LTE, Verizon is building a whole new LTE network.

[gerrrg Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:39PM]

Finally...someone that gets it.

[Versed Posted Feb 18th 2010 7:23PM]

All I can say about this, is, this is very good.

[Gadget Lover Posted Feb 22nd 2010 8:18PM]

When's the WiMAX MiFi coming, guys?