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At future WiMax events, attendees will have an option of getting certified training on the technology. The WiMax Forum industry consortium worked with California-based DoceoTech and London-based Informa Telecoms & Media to create the WiMax Forum Certified Training Program, a suite of coursework for both technical and business types. WiMax, of course, is the very […]

Written By

Eric Griffith

Jun 11, 2007

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At future WiMax events, attendees will have an option of getting certified training on the technology. The WiMax Forum industry consortium worked with California-based DoceoTech and London-based Informa Telecoms & Media to create the WiMax Forum Certified Training Program, a suite of coursework for both technical and business types.

WiMax, of course, is the very hyped wireless broadband technology just now seeing real-world implementation. Infonetics Research in the U.K. says the market for WiMax equipment will grow 70% a year through 2010.

The courses “will be taught in all regions of the world,” according to a statement issued today, specifically at WiMax Forum-sponsored conferences such as WiMax World and WiMax-Vision, as well as some regional locations. The Web site says the course “culminates in a test of knowledge and skills that may result in certification.”

The first certification will be the WiMax Forum RF Network Engineer (WFRE) Certification Boot Camp, a four-day course for those with some minor RF background to expand their skills for installing WiMax. It has 10 modules, covering design options, RF fundamentals, antennas, RF considerations, how to perform a link budget, path loss modeling, frequency reuse in both fixed and mobile WiMax, performance and coverage considerations, planning with modeling tools, and capacity design. It’s meant to be half tutorial and half hands-on. It will cost $2,995 to take in the U.S., and $3,495 in Europe or Asia. The first course is running right now in Leeds, U.K.; the next is in Washington D.C. starting June 12. Future course locations through December this year are listed online.

A second course for those already working in wireless broadband is called WiMax and 802.16e: Broadband Wireless Standards. It lasts two days, and concentrates on both 802.16-2004 (fixed WiMax) and 802.16e-2005 (mobile WiMax) standards, providing the fundamentals as well as nitty-gritty on the MAC and PHY layers, frequency reuse, and more. It will cost $1,395 domestically and $1,635 in Europe and Asia, and will be offered first in Washington on June 12, then in Madrid. Check the online schedule.

The WiMax Explained course is also two days long, with an over-arching look at WiMax, both technical and non. DoceoTech has not yet posted pricing or schedules for this course.

In the end, there will be four professional certification tracks: the aforementioned WFRE, plus WiMax Forum Core Network Engineer, WiMax Forum Network Associate, and WiMax Forum Security Professional.

DoceoTech is the “knowledge-transfer services provider” — that probably translates to “trainer” — that designed the courses. The company also does a lot of training for Wi-Fi mesh implementers, and is a member of the WiMax Forum. Informa also does its own training and development programs.

This article was first published on WiFiPlanet.com.