Nominations now open for Best of 4G Awards

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Nominations now open for Best of 4G Awards xchange magazine and Yankee Group are pleased to present the Best of 4G Awards at the 4G World conference and expo, Sept. 15-18, 2009, in Chicago. The awards recognize leaders in the development, deployment and service of next generation telecom technology. Nominations are open to all parties involved in 4G technology, products and services. To submit your nomination, click here: Online nominations can be submitted July 1 through July 31. Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted. Categories Awards will be given in the following seven categories: Best 4G Enabling Technology Innovation Recognizing an individual, company or organization that has best demonstrated a technology innovation that enables or advances the deployment of any element of a 4G wireless network solution. Criteria: Breakthrough Technology – Demonstrated and recognized breakthrough technology that will enable the advancement of 4G – 30% Operator Business Case – Impact of enabling technology on 4G operator business case – 20% Unique Differentiation – Ability to create unique product differentiation for system or solution vendor – 30% Profit Potential – Demonstrated ability to profitably monetize technology or intellectual property – 20% Best WiMAX Network Deployment Recognizing a carrier, operator, enterprise or organization that has successfully developed a WiMAX network that demonstrates best engineering, design and installation practices, delivery of connectivity objectives and effectiveness of investment. Criteria: Role in Furthering the WiMAX Market – 20% Technology Innovation – 20% Service/Market innovation – 20% Market Traction/Penetration – 20% Role in Furthering WiMAX Ecosystem – 20% Best Femto Deployment Recognizing a carrier or operator that has successfully deployed a femtocell solution that demonstrates best design, features and functionality, delivery of connectivity objectives and effectiveness of investment. Criteria: Features and Functionality (Overall Capability) – 50% Price/Performance (Value) – 25% Scope and Applicability (Suitability to a Variety of Missions) – 25% Best Mobile Internet Application Recognizing an application development company or application developer that has delivered a mobile Internet application that has been successfully deployed on a mobile platform and successfully demonstrates best software design practices, user interface, features and functionality and user benefit. Criteria: User Benefits – Briefly explain how the application benefits mobile Internet users. For example, how does the application improve life experiences for users or solve business problems for enterprises? – 40% Features/Functionality – What features does the application include? For example, does the application provide support of internal or external GPS or offer Bluetooth connectivity? – 20% Customer Experience – Outline how the application provides an ideal experience. For example, what considerations have been employed to provide ease of input, navigation or control of the application? – 20% Compatibility – What mobile platform(s) has the application been deployed on? Identify mobile OS platform(s) and device(s) that are supported. – 10% Standards Compliance – Has the developer employed best practices in the design and development of the application? For example, has the developer used standards-based architecture code and testing methodologies? – 10% Best Mobile Internet Device Recognizing a design or manufacturing company that has delivered a mobile Internet device that had been successfully deployed on a mobile network and demonstrates best design practices, user interface, features, performance and power management. Criteria: Successful Operator Deployment – Has this product been deployed commercially and had commercial impact on its operators? – 25% Innovation – What hardware and/or software features demonstrate real innovation, taking the category forward? – 25% Features/Differentiation – Across the whole range of features, how does the device differentiate itself from the competition — user interface and usability, range of capabilities, branding, etc.? – 30% Power Performance – What is the ratio of power consumption to performance? – 20% Best 4G Operator Deployment Recognizing an operator that has successfully deployed a 4G network that demonstrates best engineering, design and installation practices, delivery of connectivity objectives and effectiveness of investment. Criteria: Market Leadership – First to deploy 4G? – 15% Spectrum Owned – How much spectrum is available to support the long-term broadband adoption? – 20% Application Innovation – What vision is there for profitable future applications? – 25% Device Strategy – What is the strategy for influencing the development of 4G devices? – 15% Financial Resources – How deep are the pockets to materialize strategy? Is the operator capable of attracting investors to support the strategy? – 25% Best Backhaul Deployment Recognizing a carrier, operator, enterprise or organization that has successfully deployed a 4G backhaul solution that demonstrates best engineering, design and installation practices, delivery of connectivity objectives and effectiveness of investment. Criteria: Engineering and Design – How well does the implementation position the service provider for 4G? What innovative techniques did the SP use to gauge the cell site locations, traffic volume, sync mechanism, backhaul speeds, media or technology? How does the service provider build in flexibility to the solution? – 25% Operations, Administration & Management – How does the solution improve network availability and recoverability, quality of service, service level agreements, per-flow end-to-end management and monitoring and overall network management? – 25% Innovation/Differentiation – What innovation does this backhaul implementation bring to the market and how differentiated is it from competitive service provider offerings? – 25% Cost Benefit – What benefit does the backhaul solution bring to the service provider’s CAPEX, OPEX and TCO? – 25% Selection of Winners Final selection of winners will be made by the Best of 4G Selection Committee, which includes representatives from xchange, Yankee Group and invited subject matter experts. from the WiMAX community. Awards Presentation The Best of 4G Awards will be presented Sept. 16, 2009, during ceremonies at the 4G World event. Winners will receive personalized trophies as well as electronic logo files for use in their marketing and advertising. Press Coverage Award winners will be acknowledged at the event and on the xchange Web site and the 4G World Web site. Questions: Please direct all questions to Buffy Jones, managing editor, xchange, at bjones@vpico.com.   ©2009 Yankee Group · All Rights Reserved4G World is a trademark of Yankee Group Research Inc.