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Technology Stocks : The *NEW* Frank Coluccio Technology Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (10376)	6/23/2005 8:42:22 PM
From: axial	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 46821

"... we never really settled (nor has anyone else that I am aware of) the issue of where WiMAX would be best suited. I don't think a single answer could be applied equally across all localities. In fact, I'm sure of that. I know that this sounds like a repetitive cop-out, but it happens to be true." Frank, at this stage there's no clear answer. All informed, logical opinions are equally valid. "From my perch I'm willing to concede that there is at least a skeletal role that WiMAX may play in meshing WiFi subnets throughout a district, and it may also satisfy a number of fixed location-specific applications, such as small branch offices of banks and brokerages, city services, SMBs, and so on." You may be right. I haven't been able to see the future any better than others, here. In fact, my record stinks. WRT the somewhat limited role you see for WiMax, the following questions arise: 1. WiMax can be used at many frequencies below 11 GHz, licensed and unlicensed. Wi-Fi? 2. WiMax has superior NLOS capability. WiFi? 3. The number of users that can be supported by a WiMax base station can be in the dozens, the hundreds, over 10 or 20 miles. WiFi is a contention-based system, with 20 MHz bandwidth. Would you run a WiFi sytem over 10 miles, with 200 users? If you were a potential WISP, which option would you choose? 4. WiMax was designed from the ground up as carrier-grade, with provision for billing and QOS. Which one would you choose to run VoIP at hotspots, for instance (at distances exceeding the Intel USB/UWB 10 meters)? And so on... I can see where WiFi and WiMax will coexist, for a while - perhaps a long while, where usage is light, and interference is minimal. But as the price of WiMax components drops to WiFi equivalence, and as limited WiFi spectrum becomes saturated, I can't understand why WiFi would endure. Perhaps I'm missing something. I'd appreciate contrary views.