What Will WiMax Do For You?
The WiMax wireless standard promises more robust wireless service, greater reliability and power. Will it deliver?
Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Transmission, more commonly
known as WiMax, is a technology based on the IEEE 802.16 standard used
for wireless transmission of data. The 802.16 standard has been through
a few evolutionary stages, with 802.16e the most recent updated form.
The WiMax Forum, the group
responsible for coining the name “WiMax” and charged with promoting
interoperability and certifying new WiMax products, claims that by 2011
there will be over 1,000 certified WiMax products available. Will the
confluence of must-have wireless devices and an expanded WiMax network
have subscribers scrambling to sign up?A 4G Network
The cellular and mobile broadband industry love anamorphisms. The
latest—4G—is the category into which WiMax falls, accompanied by LTE
("Long-Term Evolution). From a consumer perspective, a WiMax 4G network
can bring wireless broadband Internet into the home (the “fixed” or
“stationary” solution) or bring faster data downloads and uploads for
users on the go (the “mobile” solution).