WiMax Delayed for more Testing

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.

Comments

wimax multiplayer gaming

[rishistar]

I'd much rather be playing Grand Theft Auto 6 while driving down the freeeway.

This isn't a great surprise...

[ZiZ]

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.

Re:This isn't a great surprise...

[mspohr]

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.

Pre-WiMax

[PopeAlien]

"2005 was thought to be the year of the WiMax launch. Unfortunately, it will now mostly be the year of pre-WiMax," said Vincent Poulbere, a senior consultant at Ovum.

So its official! 2005 is the year of the pre-WiMax. What a great way to say vaporware!

Halo While Driving?

[dhj]

That would SUCK.

Unless of course you had a HUD screen that turns all the traffic around you into Covenant vehicles and incorporates them into the game!

THAT would ROCK!

The only tricky part would be implementing checkpoints that let you go back a few minutes rather than die a bloody death.

--David

Re:Erm.

[nuclear305]

"I will personally decapitate anyone I see on the freeway playing Halo 2 while driving. Cell phones are bad enough."

Hopefully you'll be conducting such activities from the passenger seat...otherwise I'm sure you see the irony here.

Crappy marketroid naming

[cortana]

They have really fought themselves into a corner with this one. WiMax is, by definition, the maximum amount of Wi that there can be.

So what will they call the next standard?

Re:Crappy marketroid naming

[dourk]

If they can break Warp 10, they can beat WiMax.

Disappointing

[colinramsay]

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.

Certification

[eggboard]

You can't have WiMax without a plan for certification. WiMax, like Wi-Fi, is a sticker that says, "this device has been tested and passed." A recent plugfest to check out interoperability and other characteristics for pre-WiMax gear was canceled, hence part of the delay.

Basically, the 802.16 standards on which WiMax will be a strong subset are done, and it's about figuring out what needs to be in final shipping silicon. No two WiMax devices may be identical, either. There will be profiles so that different features may be enabled in different devices.

And don't expect WiMax mobile to be any time soon, unlike the description that leads into this story -- that's 2006 or 2007, more likely. The first WiMax flavor is fixed point-to-multipoint.

What's WiMax for?

[mveloso]

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?

Oh no!

[Turmio]

I can't bear this! I have to wait before I'll be able to play Halo 2 while shuffling the iPod playlist and watching some great movie on DVD and, of course, having a critical business conversation while driving down the freeway. So unfair!

Marketing

[cyberfunk2]

"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 ?

Re:If that's the case

[roseblood]

For those who don't get the reference

http://www.waxy.org/archive/2003/07/16/santa_mo. sh tml

This site explains how 86-year-old George Russell Weller killed ten people with his automobile at a farmers market in Santa Monica CA. At least one of the dead was a 10 month old baby and three year old was also injured. Mr Weller decided that he was capable of operating a motor vehicle in a safe fashion. He started the automobile and went about his business. Apparently Mr Weller was not able to operate his automobile quite as well as he though. He "confused" his break and gas pedals. When his "break" pedal did not stop the car he pressed the pedal harder in an effort to stop the car. It accelerated as it crushed and trapped shoppers and vendors. Mr Weller got off with minimal punishment for causing a great loss for so many in the community.