WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) isn't new technology (the WiMax forum was created in 2001 to promote the standard), but it's only recently that it has made people sit up and pay greater attention. According to Robert Morrow, a retired Air Force Academy electrical engineering professor, WiFi and cellular data are on the way out because the future belongs to WiMax. There are others, however, who are not quite as glowing in their praise of the emerging WiMax technology, and who believe that it will prove too expensive to have any real practical value.
In an article for LiveScience, Morrow explains why he believes WiMax is the way of the future. Even though WiMax will not be free, as WiFi is, it offers uninterrupted service. Its reach is longer than WiFi's (several kilometres as opposed to several metres) and its signal is stronger, although this is dependent on the distance from base station antennaes. In theory, users should be able to stay connected online all the way across the United States without losing signal once, a feat which is currently impossible even with mobile phone technology. This is because WiMax is compatible with a range of digital cellular service providers, and not just with one or two.
While WiMax doesn't currently enjoy wide spread use, Morrow believes that within the next 2-5 years it will be commonplace in all major US cities, and that in 5 years time, it will be sold with all laptops, or none of them. Which seems rather contradictory, but he says that WiMax's ultimate success will depend on how quickly laptop vendors will add WiMax modems to their products.
David Jarvis, a South African telecoms entrepreneur, is one those people who still believes in the power of WiFi. At the 2007 WiWorld Conference, Jarvis said that WiFi is still a more affordable alternative to WiMax. According to Jarvis, a WiMax base stations costs around $35,000 (£17,703) to build, while a WiFi station costs a mere $2,500 (£1,264). The CPE price of WiFi is also lower, $250 (£126) vs. $350 (£177) for WiMax. Other factors favouring WiFi include its already widespread adoption and the fact that it's available in commonly used wireless devices.
The Wireless Access Providers' Association of South Africa (WAPA) has compiled a list of reasons why Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) prefer WiFi, such as the tried and tested capability of WiFi. WiMax has yet to prove itself capable of living up to expectations and to justify the price increase from WiFi. In addition, the use of both technologies in the Far East has shown that WiFi is superior to WiMax as a business model.
Pakistan, however, is throwing its weight behind WiMax, as it has constructed the largest WiMax network in the world. Wateen Telecom, in conjunction with Motorola Hardware, has installed the network across 17 cities in Pakistan.
While the debate between WiMax and WiFi rages on, some experts in the telecoms industry believe that both technologies can exist alongside each other, with each sharing an equal piece of the telecoms pie. They predict that those who are expecting a major battle between the two will be sorely disappointed, as the future is rosy for both of them.
Recommended sites:
http://www.livescience.com/technology/080603-wireless-future.html
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