D2 Technologies, Beceem and ECS extend VoIP over WiMAX to Android smartphones and MIDs

WiMAX Forum Congress Americas 2009, FORT LAUDERDALE & SANTA BARBARA, USA: D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded IP communications software platforms, today announced that it has joined with Beceem Communications and ECS, Inc. to expand the Android operating system (OS) into smartphones delivering VoIP over WiMAX and other next generation IP communications capabilities.

D2’s breakthrough mCUE converged communications client with its industry leading vPort embedded VoIP engine powers the ECS T371 mobile device, based on the OMAP-3430 processor from Texas Instruments Inc. (TI), paired with Beceem’s high performance BCSM250 WiMAX modem. Together, the companies showcase a complete turnkey solution for quickly developing and delivering mobile devices to market, including ones utilizing the Android OS.

Attendees to WiMAX Forum Congress Americas 2009, being held December 2-3 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL can get a first look at the joint D2–Beceem–ECS multi-modal handset solution by contacting either D2 or ECS to arrange a private demo.

“With the industry actively working toward the creation and delivery of a WiMAX infrastructure, manufacturers will need to develop mobile devices that take advantage of the greater bandwidth, range and other benefits of this technology,” said Doug Makishima, chief operating officer at D2 Technologies. “Together with Beceem and ECS, we’ve shown how a complete ecosystem dedicated to mobile VoIP over WiMAX can help device manufacturers and unified communications/VoIP providers get new products to market more quickly, efficiently and effectively.”

In early November 2009, D2 and Beceem completed the world’s first mobile VoIP calls over WiMAX on Android using the Zoom OMAP34x-II mobile development platform (MDP) and a Beceem BSCM250 WiMAX modem with D2’s kernel-level embedded voice engine for guaranteed real-time performance.

“Beceem has been the market and product leader in WiMAX since first devices shipped, and we are excited to continue to push the envelope of what is possible in 4G by having a mobile VoIP solution available for Android devices,” said Lars Johnsson, VP of marketing & business development at Beceem. “We have worked closely with D2 to integrate our market leading BCSM250 Mobile WiMAX chip into TI’s OMAP™ processor, using the Zoom II MDP running Android and are excited to see how our collaboration with ECS has enabled this one-of-a-kind 4G phone.”

D2’s mCUE solution, an innovative, patent-pending VoIP and IP communications client, paired with Beceem’s industry leading chipsets, provides all of the components necessary for manufacturers to quickly field multi-mode mobile devices for enterprise, carrier and consumer use.

This includes dual-mode Wi-Fi –- and now WiMAX –- enabled smartphones and MIDs such as the ECS T371. mCUE provides multi-service and multi-modal communications capabilities such as VoIP, IM chat, presence and video calls over WiMAX, as well as multi-radio, multi-network seamless voice call handover.

Beceem’s chips outperform all competing products on important metrics of throughput, hand-off, power consumption, cost and integration readiness, all of which are key requirements for volume products. As an example, the pioneering ECS T371 gives consumers a comprehensive WiMAX services experience with its versatile media center, IM and VoIP functions, and advanced applications, all in one compact and powerful device.

“ECS values this opportunity to work with D2 and Beceem, and is excited to be part of the breakthrough of enabling VoIP on live WiMAX Android devices. This transforms the WiMAX service offering from pure data access to true triple-play services in the palm of consumer’s hands,” said Edward Chou, senior manager of intelligent communication product BU in ECS. “ECS will continue to work on innovative devices and cooperate with WiMAX operators to explore and expand the value of 4G.”

“With the increasing momentum of the Android OS across multiple markets and the deployment of new communication technologies like WiMAX, TI is pleased to see its OMAP™ 3 application processor leveraged in applications like VoIP over WiMAX,” said Fred Cohen, director of worldwide ecosystem partners, TI.

“This project reiterates the competitive advantage of a strong ecosystem, the flexibility of the OMAP platform and TI’s continued support for innovation and differentiation from its partners. We are encouraged to see innovative devices like the ECS T371 handset using D2 Tech VoIP technologies paired with a Beceem WiMAX modem, and look forward to this product and others’ success as new mobile advancements take flight.”