GNG News Guy
11-30-2007, 08:20 AM
http://i.dslr.net/urls/10/17410.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Is-WiMax-In-Trouble-89840)
Verizon's selection of LTE (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/Verizon-Wireless-Picks-100Mbps-LTE-89807) as their next-generation broadband standard has some outlets (like like Fortune (http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/29/magazines/fortune/tech/wimax.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes)) insisting that WiMax is officially in trouble. It wasn't supposed to be this way; if you flash back (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/55028) to earlier this decade, WiMax was supposed to do everything from cure cancer to potty train your toddlers. In 2004, Intel called the technology "the most important thing since the Internet itself."
It's now almost 2008, and AT&T is only using WiMax as a limited rural DSL alternative (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/87612). The nation's largest WiMax company (Clearwire) still doesn't have all that many customers, and our user reviews for their existing service have never been very positive (http://www.thegng.org/comments/1592). Their mobile WiMax network remains largely unbuilt.
Sprint, who was supposed to be the biggest proponent of WiMax, just fired the CEO who championed the technology, and is facing financial and customer service headaches. They recently scrapped a cooperative plan with Clearwire, and their investors are whining about deployment costs for their Xohm (http://www.xohm.com/) WiMax service.
It's pretty clear the technology has stumbled out of the gate, despite Intel's marketing bravado. WiMax supporters seem to be clinging increasingly to foreign deployment as a cause for optimism.WiMax proponents, such as Dr. Mohammad S. Shakouri, a member of the board of the WiMax Forum, like to point out that Sprint is by no means the only company pursuing WiMax, and that globally, the standard is on track to reach critical mass. . .Dr. Shakouri says more than 500 operators have WiMax licenses, and that there are more than 275 operators (most of them little, regional players) trying out the technology in some 65-plus countries.
Verizon's selection of LTE (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/Verizon-Wireless-Picks-100Mbps-LTE-89807) as their next-generation broadband standard has some outlets (like like Fortune (http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/29/magazines/fortune/tech/wimax.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes)) insisting that WiMax is officially in trouble. It wasn't supposed to be this way; if you flash back (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/55028) to earlier this decade, WiMax was supposed to do everything from cure cancer to potty train your toddlers. In 2004, Intel called the technology "the most important thing since the Internet itself."
It's now almost 2008, and AT&T is only using WiMax as a limited rural DSL alternative (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/87612). The nation's largest WiMax company (Clearwire) still doesn't have all that many customers, and our user reviews for their existing service have never been very positive (http://www.thegng.org/comments/1592). Their mobile WiMax network remains largely unbuilt.
Sprint, who was supposed to be the biggest proponent of WiMax, just fired the CEO who championed the technology, and is facing financial and customer service headaches. They recently scrapped a cooperative plan with Clearwire, and their investors are whining about deployment costs for their Xohm (http://www.xohm.com/) WiMax service.
It's pretty clear the technology has stumbled out of the gate, despite Intel's marketing bravado. WiMax supporters seem to be clinging increasingly to foreign deployment as a cause for optimism.WiMax proponents, such as Dr. Mohammad S. Shakouri, a member of the board of the WiMax Forum, like to point out that Sprint is by no means the only company pursuing WiMax, and that globally, the standard is on track to reach critical mass. . .Dr. Shakouri says more than 500 operators have WiMax licenses, and that there are more than 275 operators (most of them little, regional players) trying out the technology in some 65-plus countries.