Windows Phone Thoughts: WiMax: Overhyped & Not Yet Over Here

"To hear some of its more enthusiastic proponents you might conclude that WiMax, an emerging wireless-broadband technology, was about to take over the world. WiMax is akin to a long-range version of the popular Wi-Fi technology that allows computers close to a small base-station to surf the internet without wires. Whereas Wi-Fi's range is limited to a few tens of metres, WiMax can, in theory, work over tens of kilometres, allowing huge areas to be blanketed with wireless coverage. Hence the claims that WiMax will bring internet access to the 5 billion people who currently lack it, or that it will render expensive “third-generation” (3G) mobile networks redundant. The reality, however, is that WiMax has been hugely overhyped. "

Just about every new technology is overhyped when it's first launched and as ever, after the hype comes the backlash. This Economist article does a good job of summing up the current WiMax situation, which is that it has a lot of potential, but no current shipping devices. The WiMax consortium haven't even certified any devices yet, but have just announced that pre-certification testing will begin in July. This means devices will turn up at the end of year at the earliest. The (unfinished) specification for the next generation of WiMax should support mobile access for laptops and PDAs etc., but the power consumption is still estimated to be 10% more than today's Wi-Fi chips. Overall, it's not looking too good for mobile access at the moment.