Like any emerging technology, WiMAX (short for Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access) has taken years to become available to the
public. Even so, it took less time than most new wireless technologies. It
developed quickly from an idea to a formal standard to real products and
services in just a few years. Many chips are now available, and products
are beginning to flow. But best of all, several large carriers are beginning
to offer broadband wireless services with big rollouts planned for 2008
and beyond.
The standard
WiMAX refers to a broadband radio technology defined by IEEE
standard 802.16-2004 and 802.16e-2005. This standard defines an IP-based (Internet Protocol)
wireless technology using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) in the 2- to 6-GHz microwave range to provide
high-speed Internet access, e-mail, video, and other services. Its potential speed ranges from
1 to 20 Mbits/s, depending on the services offered by the provider. Using cell-phone-like
basestations, coverage ranges over several miles.
The intended market for the original 802.16-2004 standard is a fixed service that
provides high-speed Internet to areas lacking the usual DSL or cable TV access, like smaller cities and rural areas. It's also useful for backhaul
applications like carrying Wi-Fi hotspot data back to the
service provider. The mobile version, 802.16e-2005, provides
equivalent broadband access while the user is in motion in a
car or public transportation.
While Internet connectivity is the target application,
WiMAX could carry Voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls, making
WiMAX handsets or dual-mode cellular-WiMAX handsets a
possibility. WiMAX also will be built into most new laptops,
just like Wi-Fi. In fact, most laptops will probably have both
wireless technologies.
The competition
WiMAX's main competition in the
major metropolitan areas will be the DSL and cable TV companies.
But in the wireless space, mobile competition will come
from current cell-phone carriers offering 3G cell-phone services.
AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon offer 3G (cdma2000 or
WCDMA) plug-in modems for laptops, all of which can provide
DSL-like speeds in a wireless setting.
As the interest in and adoption of WiMAX
have grown, these carriers are now more
aggressively selling their 3G data services,
which run about $50 to $70 per month.
Enhancements to 3G services include
HSPA for AT&T's WCDMA systems and
Rev. A and Rev. B versions of
cdma2000 used by Sprint Nextel and
Verizon, and these improvements will
give WiMAX a run for the money.
Fourth-generation cell-phone services
such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE)
and the Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB)
enhancement to cdma2000 1xEV-DO will
also compete with WiMAX, but they're a
few years away (see "And They're Off!
WiMAX, LTE, UMB, And The Race To
4GWireless," p. 18).
Wi-Fi is also a competitor-sort of.
With hot spots and corporate access points
everywhere these days, it's possible to connect
to the Internet from most places
where people congregate. Municipal Wi-Fi
mesh networks have grown in number as well, giving Wi-Fi an
edge in the broadband access space. But with that business
slowing and Wi-Fi's inherently limited range, WiMAX is
expected to find a sweet spot. A WiMAX link will allow far
more range flexibility in addition to speed and mobility that
Wi-Fi doesn't have.
Impediments to implementation
The key to
launching any new wireless business is a good business model.
Like cell-phone service, WiMAX requires a major business
investment in infrastructure. While that investment is certainly
less than a major cell-phone upgrade, it is still huge.
One of the main reasons WiMAX has been somewhat
delayed is available spectrum, especially in the U.S. Most of the
rest of the world has allocated 3.5 GHz for broadband wireless
services. In the U.S., the primary spectrum availability is in the
2.3- to 2.5-GHz range, which is mainly held by the big cellphone
carriers. Most WiMAX services will use that spectrum.
But in January, the Federal Communications Commission will
auction off 62 MHz in the 698- to 806-MHz range previously
assigned to UHF TV.
The highest bidders will get this spectrum, and at least one of
the winners is expected to offer a broadband wireless service of
some kind, probably WiMAX. While WiMAX wasn't designed
for this band, making it work there is relatively simple. Benefits
include longer range and greater reliability, simply because
physics says that the lower frequencies provide the greatest
range and penetration. With the spectrum issues essentially
resolved, WiMAX is ready for action.