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WiMax Technology Could Blanket the US?

Posted by Zonk on from the that's-a-lot-of-aetheric-packets dept.

obiwan2u writes "According to an article on WiMaxTrends, the metropolitan area wireless networking technology (MLAN) called WiMax could reach 90% of the mainland US population if about $3 billion was spent on infrastructure. The 802.16 standard specifies a max range of about 30 miles and a max speed of about 70 Mbits/sec, but typical ranges and speeds will typically be smaller. 802.16/WiMax specifies various licensed (3.5Ghz) and unlicensed (5Ghz) frequency ranges but the unlicensed ranges have Wi-Fi like transmitting power restrictions. More background on this technology can be seen at: WiMax starting to make its move and 802.16: Medium distance wireless networking that could change the world?"

6 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. vested interest by gingerTabs · · Score: 5, Funny

    So a Wimax group says that Wimax is the next great solution to all our wireless data worries. Who'd have thunk it...

  2. Typical by beekr · · Score: 5, Funny
    but typical ranges and speeds will typically be smaller.

    Sounds typical.

  3. From the editorial desk... by yossarian+dent · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...typical ranges and speeds will typically be smaller.

    In other news, redundancy and saying the same thing twice will not be tolerated or put up with.

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    sig not ready: (A)bort, (R)etry, (F)ail.
  4. 30 mile range! by angle_slam · · Score: 3, Funny

    I should get this for my apartment. My 802.11g doesn't work 40 feet. (I'm serious, I tried to log on this morning and I had no signal. I can see the laptop from here, right next to the router.)

  5. Re:A welcome change by david.given · · Score: 5, Funny
    It will be a welcome change from the jingoism and neo-conservative hate-mongering that is currently blanketing the US.

    Maybe you could use it to transmit data? If you hooked up, say, your average Bush voter to a blood-pressure machine and then had someone several miles away talk about how bad the war in Iraq was, I'm sure you'd see a spike on the graph. By using carefully timed conversations and statistical analysis, you should be able to get at least some bandwidth.

    The problem would be isolating the signal from the noise. A passing planeload of French tourists would produce so much interference that you'd probably have to give up and resend. And if a Michael Moore film was shown in the same state, you'd probably burn out your surge protectors...

  6. Re:A welcome change by HD+Webdev · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fox News has a wireless network?

    They must. After all, they seem to get their 'facts' out of thin air.

    There must be a lot of packet loss though...their news is an extreme distortion of reality.

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    This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.