MagnaCom

MagnaCom was a San Diego, California-based technology company focused on developing and licensing a novel wireless communication technology called Wavelet Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (Wavelet OFDM or Wo-OFDM). This technology was promoted as an alternative to traditional Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), the dominant technology used in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi. MagnaCom claimed that Wo-OFDM offered significant performance advantages in terms of spectral efficiency, power consumption, and resistance to interference.

The core innovation behind MagnaCom's technology revolved around the use of wavelets as the basis functions for the multiplexing scheme, rather than the traditional Fourier transforms used in standard OFDM. This, according to MagnaCom, enabled better handling of non-ideal channel conditions and led to improved performance. The company targeted various applications, including mobile broadband, fixed wireless access, and satellite communications.

MagnaCom was founded in 2007 and received significant funding. It actively promoted its technology through industry conferences and publications. However, despite its claims and efforts, Wo-OFDM did not achieve widespread adoption or commercial success.

In 2017, MagnaCom filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations. The reasons for its failure are multifaceted, but likely include the entrenched position of OFDM, the challenges of disrupting established industry standards, and the difficulty in demonstrating substantial real-world performance advantages sufficient to overcome the inertia of existing technologies. The intellectual property assets of MagnaCom were subsequently sold.