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Sprint Rolls out WiMAX Access

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the to-go-with-their-new-card-toy dept.

Tokin84 writes "Today, Sprint announced that it would pour over $4.5Bn into a 2.5Ghz WiMAX system to be rolled out across the country. From the article: 'Sprint Nextel, the nation's largest holder of radio spectrum in the precious 2.5 GHz band, has reportedly chosen to deploy Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access (WiMAX) as the foundation of its technology platform for the carrier's mobile broadband Next-Generation Network (NGN) build-out.'"

21 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Here's an idea... by HotNeedleOfInquiry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How about fibre-to-the-curb or even better, to my demark point instead. Wireless is nice, but I spend 90% of my on-line time connected to a wire.

    --
    "Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
    1. Re:Here's an idea... by Synic · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you could use wireless reliably on a desktop machine over a equivalent or higher speed than your current wired connection, why would you say no to it?

    2. Re:Here's an idea... by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

      How about fibre-to-the-curb or even better, to my demark point instead. Wireless is nice, but I spend 90% of my on-line time connected to a wire.

      You obviously don't get out much.

      I predict the logical successor to the 4x4 SUV will be a vehicle with a desk in place of the dashboard, because I swear more business is being done on the road than in boardrooms.

      excuse me officer, do you have an appointment?

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    3. Re:Here's an idea... by ptbarnett · · Score: 3, Insightful
      How about fibre-to-the-curb or even better, to my demark point instead.

      I already have it. 15 megabit/sec down, 2 megabit/sec up. Finally, I have true high-definition TV and static-free phones, as well.

      Of course, it depends on where you live. I was fortunate to be in one of the early deployment areas. However, the speed of the service depends on the competition. Where I live, 15/2 is the highest speed for a reasonable price. Elsewhere, people are getting 20/5 (or even higher) for a similar price.

      Once it's installed and configured correctly, it has been reliable. But, there have been administrative problems every step along the way.

    4. Re:Here's an idea... by filmotheklown · · Score: 5, Informative

      Cheaper to cover an area with radio signal than to trench cable any day of the week.

      --
      Filmo The Klown
    5. Re:Here's an idea... by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because that would mean that there is something wrong with the wire and it needs fixing.

      --
      Evil people are out to get you.
    6. Re:Here's an idea... by andrewman327 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Fiber to the home may sound like a wonderful thing, and I must confess that I used to think that way. I had that sentiment until I practically found myself in a Douglas Adam's book arguing with Verizon contractors who were intent on trenching my property for fiber optic lines. They were offering this wonderful new service to our neighborhood. I actually sat in front of my house to make sure that they did not dig up any more than the 10 feet from the street that they are allowed by city code. They then offered me a pittence of a discount to adopt the new technology without even bothering to patch the holes in my lawn. After writing a (mostly friendly) letter to corporate HQ, Verizon finally seeded part of the damaged area. Never will I use the their FTTH Internet connection. Don't so sure that Fiber is the solution.


      If Sprint WiMax can save another city the troubles that faced my city, I am in favor of it. I would also like to have full coverage no matter where I go within my area.

      --
      Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    7. Re:Here's an idea... by Chosen+Reject · · Score: 3, Informative

      Because its very expensive to do that.

      Yeah, it's not like the government didn't give them money to do it already.

      --
      Stop Global Warming!
      Just say no to irreversible processes!
    8. Re:Here's an idea... by THESuperShawn · · Score: 4, Funny

      So YOU are the guy I almost sideswiped while typing on my Blackberry and talking on my Treo while doing 90 mph down 77 the other day. Sorry about that, the user was pissing me off....

      --
      Repant. Thy end is sheer.
    9. Re:Here's an idea... by mattkime · · Score: 4, Funny

      You value your lawn more than fibre to you home? ....who told you about this website?

      --
      Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
  2. Investitudinally speaking... by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny

    "4G" "NGN" "WiMAX" "UMTS-based technology dubbed TD-CDMA" "Flash-OFDM" Nice load of acronyms, that's $4.5Bn invested.

    I for one welcome our new Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology platform foundation mobile broadband Next-Generation Network (NGN) build-out 4G overlords.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. Spectrum belongs to the public and not the rich. by zymano · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Buying up our spectrum like this installs a natural monopoly that is inefficient.

    A better system would be for public/gov to create a network of towers for wimax/wifi.

    I BETYA SPRINT WILL MAKE WIMAX REALLY AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE !!!!
    http://www.acmqueue.org/modules.php?name=Content&p a=showpage&pid=37
    http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/OpenSpectrumFAQ.ht ml
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_spectrum

  4. positive space by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Funny

    "This is very positive for the space as a whole," said Daniel Meron, analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

    I have never felt more confident after that statement.

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  5. Re:Spectrum belongs to the public and not the rich by ThisNukes4u · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Buying up our spectrum like this installs a natural monopoly that is inefficient. A better system would be for public/gov to create a network of towers for wimax/wifi.
    I'm all for the public, free use of the radio spectrum, but what makes you think that the government would do a better job? They're the ones who split up the spectrum in the first place.
    --
    thisnukes4u.net
  6. So many standards by dsmey · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Great. So now we'll have Sprint/Nextel using WiMax on 2.5ghz, Verizon using CDMA on 850/1900mhz, Cingular using UMTS/HSPDA on 850/1900/2100mhz, and TMobile using GSM 1900mhz. Why can't we be like Europeans and just settle on one wireless technology?

  7. The Environment by eno2001 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is very likely going to cause even more problems for the environment. Anyone care to comment on the recent heatwave that has swept the planet within the past month? Record temperatures on every part of the globe. With the worldwide deployment of WiMax, we'll be dumping even more energies into the environment that don't belong there. This isn't just AM or FM radio we're talking here. We're talking microwaves. The VERY SAME energy that's used to cook your food in a microwave oven! All we're doing is turning the planet into one big Amana Radar Range and global temps will skyrocket to new extremes of both hi and lo temps.

    We've already done tremendous and very ironic damage with air conditioning. In our interest of keeping our working and living spaces comfortably climate controlled we forgot one thing: thermal energy is like water. If you take heat from one space and pump it out, it has to go somewhere. We've been using ACs in our houses, our cars, and businesses, and god knows where else to pump the heat out. Well, where does all that heat go? Into the outside air. And what happens when you pump water into the outdoors? You make ponds, lakes and oceans. Same thing with heat, only worse. All that heat is now coming back to get us. But, even more irony... because it's getting hotter out there, we're using our ACs more than ever before and pumping MORE heat out! I predict that by 2015, the typical summer temps on the equator will be 180F. They're already averaging about 140F and that's up from the relatively cool 95F they used to be back in the 70s. We've got a huge problem folks and WiMax is only going to make it worse. Stop them before it's too late.

    Oh... and the internet is a series of tubes.

    --
    -"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
  8. No, no, no, wrong! Bad headline! by InfinityWpi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nothing has been 'rolled out' yet! It's been announced that they've decided to roll it out in the future. But is it not currently rolled out, nor is it in the process of rolling out. This is like going back in time a year and saying Vista has been rolled out...

    1. Re:No, no, no, wrong! Bad headline! by Zildy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Who said headlines had to be truthful? Besides, I can't count the number of times /. headlines made it sound like something has already been done when the summary admits it's "being developed", "in the planning phase", "talked about".

      They do it for the clicks, man.

      Review the Temporal Guide to Slashdot Headline Reading:

      1. Present tense means wait a few years.
      2. Future tense means it'll never happen.
      3. Past tense means SlashBack.

      --
      Karma: Excer..ex...excellahhh...realll good (mostly affected by drinking not done in moderation)
  9. Stupid headline by devjj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sprint didn't "roll out" anything. They announced their intent to spend money to do so.

  10. FTTH is Unnecessary by brunes69 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Fibre to the home is cool, but totally unneeded for 99% of people. Chances are you already had a coax line into yoru house. Do you have any idea the theoretical bandwidth you can shove down a coax cable? It's in the Gbps. There are already existing ISPs that sell 30Mbps over coax.

    The problem is all the spectrum is being hogged up with the analog cable channels. The cable companies are itching to get rid of these - once the price point is low enough on set top boxes so they can give them for free to anyone who needs them, you're going to see available bandwidth over coax explode.

    The coax pipe is very thick. It is not as thick as a fibre pipe, but it is more than enough to be able to drive all the HD streams and internet porn you could ever want.

    1. Re:FTTH is Unnecessary by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      yes, fiber is also shared with a bunch of households. Here are some things you probably didn't know about both fiber and coax; first, the fact that fiber is a loop, and well-shared. Second, that the cable network starts out as either fiber or HFC (hybrid fiber/coax) and only becomes coax on its way to your door. you do not have an unbroken line of coax leading to the cable co unless you're next door, and even that is doubtful.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"