Sprint WiMAX Network Coming In April. Do We Care?

by Jerry Jackson

Speaking at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Sprint CTO Barry West announced that the company is on track to launch their WiMAX service, called Xohm, around the end of April.

For those of you who haven't been following the news, WiMax (or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a relatively new method of wireless networking based on the IEEE 802.16 standard. In short, WiMax is something of a bridge between traditional WiFi and current generation broadband wireless networking.

WiMAX will provide broadband wireless access up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3-10 miles (5-15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only 100-300 feet (30-100m). This means you can use a WiMax enabled device to browse the web from anywhere ... as long as you are a few miles away from a WiMax network/subscriber station.

Daily, Weekly, or Monthly Payments ... No Contracts.

The service is expected to be priced at around $40 per month, and will not subsidize end-user hardware, but will also not require customers to sign up for contracts to get service, and any compatible hardware will be eligible for service. Sprint is also planning to offer pricing by the day or week, akin to many WiFi hotspot providers.

WiMax: It's Not Just For Computers Anymore.

While Sprint demonstrated two modem devices at CES, and participated in the preview of the new Asus Eee PC with WiMax, computers aren't their only target. West went on to discuss the possibility of WiMAX-enabled consumer electronics that would have the cost of their service paid upfront, in the purchase price, such as digital cameras which would interact with online storage or photo-sharing sites.

Current Eee PC (left) and Next-Gen Eee PC (right). (view large image)

Coming Soon? Well, Maybe.

Despite Sprint's announcements about WiMax service launching in April, multiple manufacturers said their WiMax products won't be available until much, much later this year ... at the earliest. Although many consumers are excited about the release of the next-generation Eee PC with WiMax, Asus contacts informed us that the new Eee PC won't arrive in stores until the end of 2008 (or the beginning of 2009). Toshiba, another notebook manufacturer considering WiMax for their next-generation Satellite notebook line, couldn't even provide details regarding when WiMax will be offered on their notebooks.

Related Articles over at Brighthand.com:

• New Asus Eee, OQO 02 Demonstrated On Sprint WiMax Network
• Sprint Demonstrates Xohm WiMax Service In Chicago

Special thanks to Adama D. Brown at Brighthand.com for contributing to this article.

 

No replies.. I guess no one do cares....

 

LMAO.

It sounds like a decent idea, though... the big problem that Sprint has would be trying to market WiMAX...

 

I do.

I think it offers a lot of potential and convenience if it becomes widespread and cost efficient. For instance, the possibility of i.e. connecting to a WiMAX network from a car. The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to true mobile connectivity. Not only for internet surfing, VoIP, but also linking the internet to navigation systems, diagnostics systems, etc.

 

Erhem... I think they are gonna ban Laptop usage on cars soon.. lol

 

Are their any Wimax mini pci-e cards or usb cards out their?

Since it has been launched in pakistan for about two months now. Plan to use it on my laptop but couldnt find any device for it.

 

I am not talking about surfing the internet while driving.

In addition, there are other possibilities such as what I mentioned about connectivity to navigation systems and diagnostics purposes.

 

I think WiMAX's biggest competition is from traditional broadband providers. It's more convenient to use a Verizon or Sprint card with your notebook for wireless internet access from anywhere (well, anywhere that gets cell phone reception).

If you already have a monthly cell phone bill with a data plan why not get a broadband card or tether your smartphone to your laptop? I just don't see a lot of consumers shelling out $40 every month so they can have a type of broadband that works only when they're in range of a special WiMAX network that has to be setup in their city before they can use it.

Time will tell. Maybe WiMAX will become more popular than WiFi in a couple of years. That said, I doubt it.

 

Mobile broadband is more appealing to many consumers out there. For now Wimax is stiil in prehistoric age.
Oh about Nex Gen EEE PC, Is it just me or because of LCD bezel color's influence that makes the screen on Next Gen EEE PC looks slightly bigger than its predecesor.

 

The new Eee PC uses a slightly larger screen in the same case ... just with a smaller bezel around the screen. Unfortunately, it's the same resolution, so the extra inch doesn't get you anything.

 

I just cancelled my WiMax service. It was too unreliable in terms of consistent speed. Signal strength constatly fluctuated and was between dial-up and slow DSL speed.

Neat idea, but only useful as a last resort IMO.

 

What other Internet options do you have in Antarctica? I've always kind of wondered about that. I suppose if you've already got WiMax you've probably got a lot of options, though.

If you could sign up for a WiMax service just like a regular Internet connection, I can see this really catching on. If you can pay $40 a month for Internet that you can access anywhere, why wouldn't you? The alternative is paying about the same amount for Internet you can only get in your house.

'Course there probably would still be cheaper in-house only Internet, and WiMax wouldn't work everywhere, but it'd still work a lot more places than a wireless house network.

 

Nope. Sprint should put everything else aside and work on their customer service first.

 

That EEE is an old prototype version. That was supposed to be the current one, but was changed at the last minute.

 

The thing that worries me about WiMAX is latency - how does it stack up to high demand applications or gaming? It has taken WiFi some time to get to a similar point of use, as to be equal or so to wired connectivity. 3G wireless broadband is expensive as hell ($60 a month! Really?) and WiMAX needs to be cheaper. However, it is pretty much useless to me if its latency is closer to 3G or Satellite internet, than WiFi

 

wimax is just as fast if not faster than wifi if im not mistaken. im looking forward to this if they implement it in the Toronto area.

 

Yeah, the carriers set it up as a service tied to a device. They sell you the modem, you activate. Need it on another device? Buy another adapter and activate it too. Very different than Wifi froma busienss perspective. It is going to suck for most people.

It was never better than 170-200 ms. In other words terrible for gaming.

Wifi and Wimax can not be compared that way. 802.11a/g/n is only limited by the Internet service. WiMax is the service and is as fast as the carrier wants to make it. Typically DSL speed 1.5-3.0 mbps downstream and 128-512 kbps upstream.

You already have it. Bell and Rogers joint venture called Inukshuk. Rogers portable Internet and Bell WiMax. Both are available with portable modems and external house mounted antennas. Rogers is contract free - Bell tries to lock you in for 3 years. I have tried both and they are equally terrible. Slower than DSL, unreliable and restrictive caps (10 GB of data).