Like WiFi, WiMAX began in IEEE standards committees. WiFi was envisioned as a wireless local area network technology -- designed to be used within a home, office building or campus. WiMAX was intended for wider area wireless networks -- for metropolitan area networks.
Fixed WiMAX (IEEE 802.16d or IEEE 802.16-2004) has been available for some time, and it competes with proprietary equipment for wireless links from homes and organizations to ISPs. It holds promise in rural areas of developed nations and in developing nations.
Mobile WiMAX standards took longer to settle, but Sprint's mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e or IEEE 802.16-2005) rollout began in Baltimore in October 2008. An early report shows WiMAX being faster than a 3G cellular network and connecting well in a moving car.
| Network | Ping time (milliseconds) |
Download speed (megabits/sec) |
Upload speed (megabits/sec) |
||
| best | average | best | average | ||
| AT&T BroadbandConnect | 234 | 1,725 | 1,311 | 425 | 273 |
| Sprint XOHM | 97 | 4,391 | 3,363 | 2,748 | 2,444 |
While this is impressive, we must bear in mind that the network in Baltimore was neither complete nor heavily loaded.
Furthermore, business factors will outweigh pure technology. Sprint and others may have a difficult time raising capital for expansion in these difficult times. WiMAX vendors may also have different business models than cell phone companies. Rather than selling services like voice minutes and text messages, they will be selling connectivity, with applications at the edge of the network. For example, you might find yourself using Skype VoIP for phone calls.
Pre-standard WiMAX was rolled out as a mobile broadband connectivity offering in Korea in 2006 under the trade name WiBro. Korea Telecomm currently offers 18.4Mbit/s downstream and /4Mbit/s upstream for $22 a month with unlimited data usage. How does that compare with your home DSL or cable connection?
Intel and phone and computer manufacturers will also play a key role. For example, Intel predicts that all notebooks will one day ship with WiMAX radios, just as nearly are all WiFi equipped today. Of course, by the time WiMAX is widely deployed, the cell phone companies may be into their fourth generation. Win, lose or draw, WiMAX competition is good for the consumer and the economy.