Brace yourself: WiMax is coming. A wireless standard that makes Wi-Fi look mini, WiMax is designed to replace your Internet connection with one up to 25 times faster than today's broadband. The technology - officially known as 802.16 - not only transfers data as fast as 75 Mbps, but also goes through walls and has a maximum range of 30 miles. Hardware makers, led by Intel, are banking on a WiMax boom like the one set off by Wi-Fi. The first products are expected to roll out early next year and rack up some $1 billion in sales by 2008. Here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions.
Why does the world need WiMax?
Think of it as a wireless alternative to DSL or cable. It has obvious advantages for any place that's not wired already - small African nations, remote Indian villages, vast swaths of China. In countries like the US, it's another way to get broadband.
How is it different from fixed wireless, which companies like Winstar and Teligent hyped until they went belly-up in the telecom bust?
Same idea, different frequency. Fixed wireless operates at 26 GHz and higher. At frequencies that high, antennas need to have an unobstructed view of one another. Even fog can dampen the radio signal. It was lousy spectrum that had to be licensed from the government, which made it expensive. The equipment, based on proprietary standards, was pricey, too. Put the two together and you had a business plan for bankruptcy.
Is WiMax any better?
Definitely. It can operate at frequencies below 11 GHz, which is a much friendlier environment. The receivers don't need to be able to see the base station; signals can penetrate clouds, trees, and walls. And with mass-produced chipsets, plus testing labs to certify that all the hardware works together, equipment prices should fall low enough to make as ubiquitous as Wi-Fi.
Aren't companies like Vivato getting Wi-Fi to do the same thing WiMax promises
Wi-Fi - the 802.11 family of standards - has many wonderful properties, but working on a large scale is not one of them. Technological tricks can boost its range, but its radio signal still starts to degrade when more than 20 people get on a network. With WiMax, a single base station should be able to handle hundreds, even thousands, of users.
Where do I sign up?
Prototypes are here - major telcos have been testing them in France and Britain, and wireless service providers are offering WiMax in Montana and New York City, among other places. Certified WiMax gear will arrive next spring. The first phase - for early adopters - will use receivers that must be installed outdoors, like satellite dishes. By fall, we'll see cheaper receivers ($200, as opposed to $300 to $500) that can be tucked away in a closet. For 2007, they're promising mobile WiMax with a receiver built into your laptop, as Wi-Fi is now. You should be able to stay connected almost anywhere.
What does mobile WiMax mean for 3G?
Nothing good. Carriers laid out billions to buy spectrum and are spending billions more to build networks that will seem poky next to WiMax. Intel execs talk about 3G being great for voice and about WiMax taking the market for mobile data services. To stay competitive, carriers could end up offering both WiMax and 3G.
Is WiMax destined to take over the world?
For mobile Net access, quite possibly. WiMax will never be as dependable as a direct fiber connection. But it will be cheaper, and anyone - startup service providers, wireless carriers, even AT&T - can offer it. The only question is how deeply disruptive it will be.
Frank Rose (rose@wiredmag.com) is a contributing editor at Wired.
credit: Rinzen
START
The Amazing Adventures of 802.11
Keep Your Laws Off My Technology
Not Just Another Hollywood Bandshell
Why You'll Really Want WiMax
