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A Word to the Wise on WiMax
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:18:20 -0500
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Dewayne-Net] A Word to the Wise on WiMax Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 22:52:34 -0800 From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com> Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com> A Word to the Wise on WiMax Commentary by Joanna Glasner | Also by this reporter 02:00 AM Feb, 21, 2006 <http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70241-0.html?tw=rss.index> Marty Cooper, who invented the cell phone three decades ago, is disappointed it's taking so long for the same kind of mobility to reach the PC. "Telling someone they have to be at a computer at a fixed location is actually nutty," says Cooper, who has spent the last decade convincing fellow engineers that "smart antennas" are the future of wireless. In another 10 years, Cooper predicts, high-speed mobile internet connections will be so commonplace people will take them for granted. He's convinced that a key technology behind such capability will be the wireless broadband standard known as WiMax. Cooper is not alone. Fans of mobile WiMax -- which is designed to provide broadband access over a radius of up to several miles -- claim the technology will cover exponentially larger areas than today's Wi-Fi networks and cost less to use than 3G mobile-phone services. Mobile WiMax's main drawback is a big one: It's not available. Still, mobile WiMax made a leap from concept to reality in December, when the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers approved a standard for 802.16e, which adds mobility to previous standards designed mainly for fixed services. This week will also be a momentous one for the fledgling standard, with the WiMax Summit 2006 taking place in Paris. For investors, it's too early to say whether WiMax will ever enjoy the widespread adoption forecast by its most ardent backers. But if you don't mind taking a risk, it's worth getting acquainted with the major players behind WiMax. Here are a few of the basic W's to consider. What is it all about? According to the WiMax Forum, the trade group promoting the wireless standard, WiMax is a "standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last-mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL." It's similar to Wi-Fi, but designed to work over much vaster areas. The different types of WiMax include fixed, portable (mobile within a fixed area) and mobile. Fixed WiMax, which aims to deliver broadband wirelessly to a specific location such as a home or office, is the furthest along. Jeff Orr, marketing director for the WiMax Forum, estimates that more than 150 trials of the technology are currently underway worldwide. While services are not yet commercially available, Orr says that could change any day, with the first networking products certified for carriers about a month ago. [snip] Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com> ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- A Word to the Wise on WiMax Dave Farber (Feb 23)