Tata Elxsi, Full Spectrum to customize FullMAX broadband wireless system for smart grid communications

MENLO PARK, USA: Tata Elxsi Ltd part of India’s Tata Group, and Full Spectrum Inc. have announced a strategic partnership to expand the market for Full Spectrum’s FullMAX Broadband Wireless System for smart grid communications.

FullMAX is a “Private WiMAX” solution that creates a cost effective, wide area, private, mobile and fixed IP-based wireless communications network for electric utilities, oil and gas companies, transportation entities and public safety agencies. The FullMAX System is currently in commercial field tests in the United States with electric utilities and public safety organizations.

“Mission critical entities have requirements that go significantly beyond consumer wireless needs including heightened security, quality of service and support for legacy SCADA protocols,” said Stewart Kantor, CEO of Full Spectrum.

“By partnering with Tata Elxsi, we will leverage Tata Elxsi’s team of more than 300 software development engineers to offer customized smart grid and other intelligent infrastructure communications solutions. As well, our work with Tata Elxsi will open new opportunities to Tata’s vast customer base worldwide.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Full Spectrum and offer our customization services for utility and other mission critical markets”, said Nitin Pai, VP Marketing, for Tata Elxsi.

”Full Spectrum has made great inroads into the multi-billion dollar intelligent communications infrastructure market for the utility, transportation and public safety entities in North America. Tata Elxsi provided WiMAX software components and supported development of the FullMAX System. Tata Elxsi sees great potential to leverage the FullMAX System with new and existing Tata Elxsi communications customers.”

The FullMAX System is an enhanced and extended version of worldwide Mobile WiMAX (802.16e-2005) standard designed specifically for mission critical communications. The FullMAX Software Defined Radio (SDR) is the first commercially available broadband radio to support all licensed frequencies from 40 MHz to 958 MHz with data rates up to 10 Mbps.

It is a complete, end-to-end, Mobile WiMAX based system including the FullMAX Base Station Radio and Mobile and Fixed Station Radios. A defining feature of the FullMAX System is its ability to work in non-standard, licensed, low band VHF/UHF frequencies at high transmit power. Standard WiMAX systems are designed to operate in microwave frequencies at very low transmit power.

Typical coverage for a standard Mobile WiMAX system is approximately 12 square miles from a tower site. The FullMAX System can provide mobile and fixed data coverage up to 1,250 square miles from a single tower site by using low band licensed VHF frequencies at high transmit power.