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WiMax Folded Into 3G 'Family'
Andrew Donoghue writes "ZDNet UK is reporting that although WiMax and 3G have been battling it out as rival broadband wireless technologies, WiMax has effectively been folded into 3G's future development, after the International Telecommunication Union decided to include it in the IMT-2000 set of standards. 'An auction is to be held next year in which spectrum around the 2.6GHz band -- which is usable for both 3G and mobile WiMax -- will be sold off on a technology-neutral basis. It remains to be seen what the implications of Friday's announcement are for that auction but, as the investments already made in 3G infrastructure had been a major detrimental factor for WiMax, its inclusion in IMT-2000 has the potential to shake up the entire argument.'"
Correct link: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39290156,00.htm
I mean, it originally stood for "Third Generation", but has taken on a life of it's own, with no real definition. It's like "Web 2.0" - it sounds neat, no one really knows what it's about, but sure as hell the next number is going to be even better!
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Sorry, I forgot to jump up and down. Yay, rah. Three cities, one vendor, one pilot implementation. It's almost as good as beta testing software. Yummy.
And I'll bet it's nationwide, like 1xRTT and ev.do. Nationwide by maybe, Sprint?? Their whole program is in question.
Edge certainly stinks, but at least it's somewhat available, if you can give blood daily, in quarts for it. If and where you can find EV.DO (or even the very rare EV.DOa), it's pricey, also with blood letting, and coverage is at best, mercurial. WiMax could legitimately be a 'broadband replacement' because of its speed, rather than EDGE/UMTS/etc and EV.DOx. But you're going to pay somebody's rates. Face it.
The low-uptake rate has Intel creaming (because it's so nicely tattooed with WiMax) but the chipsets aren't out there, and for very good reasons: *money to support sales*. Not that WiFI is much better, of course, and it can also be very expensive depending on what latte you're drinking today. But a 3G/WiMax chipset won't be seen for a while. Sorry. Currently, WiMax is just another marketing man's hope, and for very good reasons.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
WiMax 802.16 as I understand it would have no functional problems using spread-spectrum frequency-hopping software programmable radio technology. Just search and read "spread-spectrum" "frequency-hopping" "802.16" WiMAX, most of this technology was available a few years ago, but the Telcos & congress .... Yep, could cause the cable carriers to become the WiMAX carriers to the home for TV, Radio, Phone ....
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/services/arterial_operations/downloads/wireless/Wireless_Overview.pdf
http://www.telecoms.gov.bb/Documents/Fact%20Sheets/Fact%20Sheets_MS%20Word/factsheet16.doc
http://www.bbwexchange.com/turnkey/howrfworks_page_6.asp
http://www.willtek.com/english/technologies/wlan
Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?