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WiMax Delayed for more Testing

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the getting-it-right dept.

sebFlyte writes "The much talked about potential wireless broadband technology, WiMax, has been hit by more delays that may reduce its chances of commercial success and hence widespread application... so those of you wanted to play Halo 2 multiplayer while driving down the freeway may be in for a bit of a wait." A spokesman for Aperto blames the delays on being "optimistically aggressive" on shipping dates.

5 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. This isn't a great surprise... by ZiZ · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The same thing happened with the initial appearance of 802.11b, and then again with 802.11g, and yet they caught on.

    So long as nobody is stupid enough to decide that because they have a WiMax-enabled chipset, they can discard all 802.11(b|g) support...WiMax (or something very similar) will show up when it's good and ready, catch on, and be the Next Big Thing. For a while.

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    This flies in the face of science.
    1. Re:This isn't a great surprise... by mspohr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The cellular companies COULD provide this with 3G but their pricing structure is aimed for premium users. For instance, Cingular currently offers 135K bps GPRS coverage for $79.00 a month... not cheap. They've announced 3G services for "next year" with higher data rates. However, I don't think they will be lowering their prices to the point where the services would be attractive to anyone not on an expense account.

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      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  2. Disappointing by colinramsay · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Anything that delays the deployment of wifi is bad in my books. In the UK we're seeing it proliferate - in transport hubs, trains, cafes. I'd really like to start seeing it used on a city-wide project here.

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    Free iPods - now in the UK!
  3. What's WiMax for? by mveloso · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you wanted to start your own VoIP telco, you could:

    * install a big 802.11b mesh network,
    * provision it with a few WiMAX backhauls (two or three),
    * sell 802.11b VoIP phones,
    * profit

    WiMAX is pretty neat, but I'm not sure yet how it differs from other high-bandwidth wireless solutions. It's standard-based and works in the free spectrum, but doesn't 802.16a? Or is 802.16d just the newest version of 802.16a?

  4. Marketing by cyberfunk2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "optimistically aggressive" -- You've just gotta love the marketing spin people put on: Well.. it doesnt quite work yet right.

    I suppose thats why the engineers arnt allowed to speak to the press. Of course, then nothing would ever be quite done enough for release, so I guess it's a balance, eh ?