The UK Broadband Group (UKBG), which operates a little known fixed wireless ISP called 'NOW Wireless' and also supplies B2B services over its array of licenses for the wireless spectrum, has said that WiMAX is not dead. Indeed it claims that the tech might soon be used to help the government achieve its 2015 target to bring a minimum broadband speed of at least 2Mbps to everybody in the country.The Hong Kong-based PCCW that owns UK Broadband has nationwide WiMAX licences, which include mobile WiMAX (802.16e) services. However WiMAX, which is similar to Wi-Fi but able to provide faster broadband internet access speeds over considerably wider coverage, has been losing ground to Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) technology.
LTE is the 3.9G / 4G technology that most of the main UK and even European mobile operators are adopting for future Mobile Broadband networks. Naturally this leaves WiMAX at somewhat of a disadvantage, forcing it into becoming more of a niche solution.
Martin Petheram, UKBG's Director of Commercial Development, told PC Pro UK:
"We're finalising plans on how to take it to market. We're looking at a wholesale B2B network for practical applications in vertical markets, we're not talking about groovy handsets. In some areas this will include working with the public sector, but WiMAX will have a role to play in providing a universal service commitment for broadband in rural areas.
Current networks in many areas are overburdened in terms of capacity, and we could address these issues by working with partners to offload capacity from the mobile networks. For example, they could issue dual-mode 3G/WiMAX dongles, so that mobile broadband on laptops could be pushed onto WiMAX."
"We're finalising plans on how to take it to market. We're looking at a wholesale B2B network for practical applications in vertical markets, we're not talking about groovy handsets. In some areas this will include working with the public sector, but WiMAX will have a role to play in providing a universal service commitment for broadband in rural areas.
Current networks in many areas are overburdened in terms of capacity, and we could address these issues by working with partners to offload capacity from the mobile networks. For example, they could issue dual-mode 3G/WiMAX dongles, so that mobile broadband on laptops could be pushed onto WiMAX."
The UKBG certainly has the licences and flexibility to do a lot with WiMAX, if it really wanted, although in terms of consumer propositions it has failed keep its NOW Wireless ISP up to speed with the market. Some of the ideas being talked about above are also largely ambitions that do not, as yet, have any real substance.
This has of course been the problem with WiMAX as a whole. It's a well developed technology that's been around for awhile and is fairly affordable, indeed some wireless ISPs do use it, but it has "missed the boat" so far as becoming a truly mass-market nationwide solution goes. Up next, WiMAX2.
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Comments: 12
testerPosted: 24 August, 2010 - 12:41 PM
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Wimax has been proved a failure in every country it has ever been deployed.
MarkJPosted: 24 August, 2010 - 12:44 PM
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That's not true, there are several hundred deployments and I believe in some countries it has even been adopted as a national service. However the situation/market in the UK/Europe is somewhat more complex.
MrFiWiPosted: 24 August, 2010 - 7:00 PM
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"However WiMAX, which is similar to Wi-Fi but able to provide faster broadband internet access speeds over considerably wider coverage" please explain...
VMPosted: 24 August, 2010 - 7:05 PM
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what the point of having a minimum of 2Mbps in 2015 ? No ones wouldn't want that slow 2Mbps ! What a waste and stupid plan!
David HavyattPosted: 25 August, 2010 - 1:44 AM
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WiMAX has not been a failure. The Clear network in the US and the vividwireless network in Australia demonstrate how robust the technology is. After all, the LTE development is really an adaptation of the Mobile WiMAX air-interface - it is only the network core that comes from the 3GPP world.
You will get better than 2Mbps with Mobile WiMAX and the bottom line is that you can get WiMAX to more people quicker than a fixed line infrastructure.
LemmyPosted: 25 August, 2010 - 9:53 AM
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WiMAX is the only creditable 4G technology commercially available today and it makes sense to deploy as a DSL type service for the "not spots". The constant WiMAX bashing by LTE supporters is getting boring and it a moot point. LTE ISN'T available today and more than likely won't be available as a service offering for the "not spots" for another 3-5 years. There's a reason why it is called LTE....LONG TERM evolution, in other words only deployed when the network operators have exhausted their current network technology, HSPA+ which they are only just deploying now. WiMAX has a valuable part to play in bringing internet connectivity to those denied by their rural location.
MarkJPosted: 25 August, 2010 - 11:22 AM
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Betamax v VHS again? WiMAX is a good tech but it's been around for awhile and, at least in the UK, has not gained any significant traction despite having ample opportunity. That is the reality. Ambition is good but, by itself, doesn't earn you money.
It doesn't so much matter why operators have picked LTE, the fact is that they have and WiMAX missed the boat. It will remain niche despite being worthy of more. Ambitions do not equal substance or profits, one episode of Dragons Den will usually tell you that.
Being niche isn't strictly speaking a bad thing, after all we should remember that Wi-Fi has effectively been niche, in terms of fixed wireless rural ISP solutions, for many years now. WiMAX already does this too but as a mass market UK proposition it simply lost the battle.
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