Greetings:
WiMAX is the up and coming wireless
connectivity technology, poised to usurp the collective
domains of WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, GSM, WCDMA,
and every other current wireless communications
scheme. It can operate 30 miles or more between
towers, and locally at mere feet. Predicted timeframe:
5-10 years.
One stumbling block to total
domination is that is operates in licensed bands
(3.5 GHz, 5.8 GHz). There is also the huge deployment
of and investment in the existing infrastructure.
As with the evolution of CDMA/WCDMA and higher data
rate GSM (EDGE), it will likely be the areas of
the world without a legacy system that will build
out first with a 100% WiMAX infrastructure, but
then there is the problem of an incentive to fund
the system.
Announcements began last year
(2006) with wireless broadband products, and Nokia
and Motorola have said they will be releasing WiMAX-enabled
phones next year (2008). Wireless broadband devices
make up the bulk of WiMAX products now. That will
sow the seeds of adoption, so we will have to wait
to see if and how rapidly it will gain in popularity.
Here are a few websites for you:
http://www.ieee802.org/16/
http://www.wimaxforum.org/home/
http://www.wimaxworld.com/
http://europe.wimaxworld.com/ Tip: WiMAX
stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (makes me wonder why the "i" is lower case.
Thanks for your participation.
