Microwave Engineering Europe - September 2008 - (Page 22)

22 WiMAX — INDIA Partnering with a company that can do volume manufacturing in India, but that has a global footprint, can be quite advantageous. Having a location in India gives a company an understanding of local legislation and the impact that legislation could have on the manufacturing process and the ﬁnished products. OEMs in India need local design support services, especially if they are designing their products for the local India market. Creating the designs and prototypes locally provides ﬂexibility in adapting to market preferences and enables the designers to work in conjunction with manufacturers in design for sourcing, logistics, assembly, test, repair, and the environment. EMS companies know the standards. Unfortunately, the WiMAX standard is quite fragmented these days and it is difﬁcult, if not outright impossible, to create a product that is truly universal. India is unique as it has adopted frequencies almost no one else uses, which forces companies to build Indiaspecial gear. A good EMS knows the local requirements so they should be able to produce those local variants. A global EMS can help determine the most optimal location for manufacturing your products. They can calculate landed costs for various scenarios, markets and plant locations, and offer the most costefﬁcient scenario for each market, taking into account transportation, duties, tariffs, manufacturing costs, component availability, and so on. In addition, generally a global EMS can offer ﬂexibility because they can ramp up quickly, adapt to product changes, accommodate unexpected demand, or move manufacturing to another location if problems arise in India. Having a global footprint with new product introduction (NPI) centers situated closer to the OEM enables the OEM to work with that EMS for design and prototyping, and/ or coordinate design and prototyping with design services in India. The EMS can then transfer the process to its India plant for volume manufacturing. A truly global EMS will use the same equipment, tools, systems and processes no matter where in the world their plant is located. Because the local environmental requirements of each country may not be the same, having a uniform network ensures that the highest global standards will be upheld, no matter where the plant is located, especially for products being manufactured and sold in different regions. After evaluating the design, manufacturing, sourcing, and logistics aspects of manufacturing in India and analyzing the market potential and demand for your products, much of the decision comes down to asset management. What resources will it take and what working capital will you need to establish and operate a manufacturing plant. Although traditionally, EMS companies were thought of only for manufacturing, today, not only do they provide complete design to after market services, but they are experts in managing the entire supply chain and can work with the OEM to create a ﬁnancing model and resource allocation. OEMs considering manufacturing and localization in India have nothing to fear. Mechanisms are in place to do volume manufacturing so now is a good time to do it. India is a high tech country with high tech factories and a maturing WiMAX market. The Indian government has set an agenda for the telecommunications industry and has ambitious growth plans. They have put incentives in place and it is a favorable regulatory environment in terms of patents, copyright laws, and IP protection, especially if you are working with a reputable EMS. Special beneﬁt schemes like Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) have been introduced, and there is easy access to major international markets and other developing markets such as the Middle East, Pakistan, and East Africa. Although it is true that the infrastructure in India still needs improvement, several companies have had operations in India for several years and have overcome many of the problems. They have relationships with national and local ofﬁcials and have established agreements on everything from duties and tariffs to the availability of water and electricity. These companies have gone through the learning curve and ironed out the problems. The key factor is to look for a large EMS with a major telecommunications focus. They should have a long history in RF and microwave technologies with WiMAX credentials, offer NPI and low volume high mix as well as volume manufacturing capabilities, and have manufacturing plants and a supplier base in the major world markets. The OEM can ﬁnd technology expertise, sourcing, a global footprint, design support, and asset management in the communications technology market in India. Report: Chips hold key to embedding 4G technology The inclusion of embedded 4G technologies in a range of mobile and consumer devices will create a built-in market for anticipated 4G services such as mobile WiMax and LTE, but it also will force some fundamental changes in the mobile industry ecosystem, particularly in the relationships between network operators and device suppliers, according to the latest report from Unstrung Insider. And 4G systems could lead to an entirely new way of thinking about system-on-chip architectures in the semiconductor industry The report 4G Inside: Embedded Modules for Mobile WiMax & LTE analyzes the evolving 4G market, focusing on the key technical and commercial issues affecting embedded modules based on mobile WiMax and LTE. It evaluates the ecosystems and business models for LTE and mobile WiMax within the framework of decisions that device makers must take regarding which, if any, embedded systems to build into their products. The report explores the primary issues that will affect the deployment of embedded modules, including spectrum requirements, intellectual property rights, pricing, and chip requirements. It includes proﬁles of nine leading suppliers of mobile technologies and explores their strategies for 4G services and embedded devices. “The ultimate key to success will be the ability of chip makers to develop higher-performance, lower-power, smaller, and cheaper chips,” said John Blau, research analyst with Unstrung Insider and author of the report. “The brains to develop these chips are arguably out there, but the economies of scale needed to drive down costs will only come with sufﬁcient demand, which is linked to network coverage which, in turn, is linked to a complex mix of spectrum, technology, IP rights, and industrial politics,” he added. Intel expects a range of royalty rates for mobile WiMax essential patents to be announced within the next month while a boost for embedded modules could come from MIMO, which Texas Instruments believes will be ﬁrst introduced in laptops. www.mwee.com/209902499 Microwave Engineering Europe ● September 2008 ● www.mwee.com 020-022_MWEE.indd 22 2/09/08 14:06:03 http://www.mwee.com/209902499 http://www.mwee.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Microwave Engineering Europe - September 2008

Microwave Engineering Europe - September 2008 News Contents Comment Cover Feature: Uncovering Test and Measurement’s Role in Advancing LTE and Mobile WiMAX WiMax: WiMax and LTE Need to Address Issues of Backhaul, Cost and Efficiency for Successful Deployment WiMax: Manufacturing Communications Technology Products in India Test and Measurement Mobile Platforms Evolve to Meet Future Demands Products Calendar

Microwave Engineering Europe - September 2008

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