ABI Research announced on Tuesday that WiMax networking options would be here quicker than many anticipated. They said that there are optional specifications built into the 802.16 standard which can boost the sensitivity of receiving equipment to the extent of making WiMAX PC cards and built-in receivers a practical proposition for laptops, PDAs and other portable devices.
According to senior analyst Philip Solis, what this means is that “There may be WiMAX PC cards on the market earlier than many observers have expected. These will result from superior chipsets permitting the use of WiMAX in laptops and similar devices in homes and offices within the reach of fixed WiMAX transmissions. You will not have full mobility as you will with 802.16e, but you will have some portability.”
Right now, this will just be a fraction of what WiMax will do at full power but it still functionality. Things like PDAs, notebooks and other mobile devices will utilize WiMax capabilities, and probably even a game console in its future too.
All WiMax really needs is a base station within 30 miles and perhaps longer and one is ready to roll. So now, as a young 15 year old, you don’t raid the old man’s closet for magazines, you go out camping or heckeven in school and download materials you should be 18 or older to view. Many believe WiMax could solve a lot of networking problems relatively inexpensively. Hopes include hi-speed access and access in rural areas that might have severe limits now.
ABI Research’s recent study, WiMAX/802.16: Opportunities for High Speed Wireless Data in Enterprise, SOHO, Residential and Portable (802.16e) Markets, examines the drivers for, and barriers to, WiMAX. Companies involved with WiMAX, and some companies that will consciously avoid WiMAX, are profiled, and the study includes forecasts for subscribers, equipment, revenues and more.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
