INTEL’S next gen Montevina chipset supports WiMAX, which is all fine and dandy, but where the heck are such networks being deployed?
Word on the street is that Lenovo and other notebook vendors are creating notebooks labelled “WiMAX ready”, but we know what that ready word means.
It means the chipsets might be ready, the notebooks might be ready, but the world is waiting for the little WiMAX lightbulb to go ping.
When Intel was busy hyping WiMAX we were told that we’d see widespread implementations by 2007 but if they are spread, they’re spread very sparsely indeed.
This must be making equipment vendors like Huawei engage in a widespread orgy of hand rubbing – it is pushing IELTS while we all wait for these metropolitan wide WiMAX networks.
Next time an assistant sells you a notebook that is said to be WiMAX capable, just make sure you ask him or her what WiMAX is, what IELTS is and when you can start smurfing the web happily almost everywhere.
Only do that if you are a schadenfreudista – otherwise show compassion for people everywhere, OK?♣
It is important to remember that WiMAX is a global broadband wireless standard. The question of whether or not it could replace either DSL or Cable will vary from region to region. Many developing countries simply do not have the infrastructure to support either cable or DSL broadband technologies. In fact, many such countries are already widely using proprietary broadband wireless technologies. Even in such regions however, it is very unlikely that either Cable or DSL technologies would disappear. The business case and basic infrastructure often dictates that the cheapest solutions will predominate. In many areas in developing nations, it may be cheaper to deploy Cable and DSL in the cities, whereas WiMAX will dominate outside of major towns.