 WiMax
Wireless is the way to go...
"It seems that in today's
world, if you are not wireless, then you are back in the dark
ages, at least in terms of being technologically savvy or
trendy. There are an increasing number of options for enjoying
wireless mobile network access, or WiFi as it is often called.
WiMax is a fairly new option for high-speed internet access via
wireless networks that has emerged among the many wireless
trends of the day.
WiMax is a shortcut for the
official name of this standard-based, wireless networking
technology, which is otherwise known as Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access. This broadband
connection standard provides for very high throughput of data
packets of longer distances than previous systems allowed. It
is becoming widely used in "last mile" broadband network
connections, hotspot connectivity, cellular backhaul
applications, and high-speed enterprise broadband connectivity
for organizations.
WiMax technology is primarily
used to provide public internet access through municipality
based systems known as MANs, which stands for Metropolitan Area
Networks. These networks give people within the area of the
network access to very fast broadband connections that operate
at up to 75 Mb a second. In addition to being very fast, these
networks also have a broad reach and people from as far away as
30 miles from the base can enjoy fast internet
connections.
This differs significantly
from the WiFi signals, which are best suited for coverage of
areas much smaller than that provided by a WiMax system. With
WiFi wireless systems, a single base unit is generally adequate
for smaller areas, such as a small town or a college campus and
tops out at a capacity to service about 1,000 users. WiFi
wireless networks were designed primarily to provide service to
these more limited local networks, while WiMax has been
designed to handle the needs of larger metropolitan
areas.
Because the WiMax networking
solutions are able to support reliable data transfer across a
range of miles, it is also a very good solution that can be
used in countries, such as India, where there is not a good
infrastructure of telecom in place, making the "last mile"
internet access quite expensive. This also means that ISPs are
able to provide their customers with broadband WiFi access
directly to homes in such areas without any concern for the
difficulties involved in installing the last mile connection
via cable or fiber optics.
Another huge benefit of the
capabilities of WiMax is in what it means to rural residents in
the US who have long been at a disadvantage for high-speed
broadband service. It also means that it could be a boon for
the telecommunications companies because it would enable them
to provide the desired WiFi connection for their customer base
in rural areas, without the need to spend billions and billions
of dollars to run cables to create the infrastructure for such
a service. Essentially, this provides the means to leapfrog
right past such expensive capital expenditures.
WiMax has been referred to as
a WiFi wireless service on steroids. It brings to the market
the potential for millions more people around the globe to be
able to enjoy wireless mobile internet access. Once these mega
wireless connections are in place, the world will be connected
in a whole new way from what is currently unavailable to so
many.
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