Posted: 02nd Aug, 2004 By: MarkJ
It's a little unrealistic, but Intel firmly believes that the new-generation broadband wireless standard, WiMAX, could be starting to replace DSL technology by 2005:
WiMax - the popular name of the IEEE 802.16 wireless standard - has a range of up to 31 miles and allows data transfer speeds of up to 75Mbps. Networks created with the technology are commonly referred to as 'wireless metropolitan area networks'.
The standard will succeed because it is open and has enough industry support, said Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's communications group. "WiMax looks real," he said. But he warned that too much optimism could lead to over-hyping. "It's very difficult to control. We try not to talk too much about it," he added.
Using WiMax for wireless DSL makes sense now that there is no capital to invest in putting fibre or copper wires in the ground. "Not because the cost of the fibre, [but] because [of] the nominal cost of getting property access," he said.It's an interesting perspective, although most operators are still planning to target fibre lines as the next generation of communication hardware. More @
VNUNet.