First Certified WiMAX Chip Ships

Semiconductor vendor Wavesat said Wednesday that it has shipped the first certified WiMAX wireless broadband chip.

The company said the chip, the DM256, has undergone extensive testing in the last month. It is now shipping the chip to WiMAX equipment vendors, which include Trango Broadband Wireless in the U.S., WaveRider Communications and VRider in Canada and a handful of other vendors.

In a statement, the company described the chips as being generally available and that it is about to ramp up to mass production.

WiMAX is wireless broadband technology. The standard itself, 802.16-2004, was adopted last year, but certification testing is just now being completed. Fully-certified WiMAX equipment is expected to be available to wireless operators and wireless ISPs starting in the second quarter.