Media News - Thursday, May 08, 2008

WiMAX promises to transform wireless Internet world

As US technology giants including Google place a multi-billion dollar bet on WiMAX, backers of the wireless data-streaming format say it will radically change mobile Internet use. A WiMAX network of the kind to be deployed across the United States by a joint venture dubbed Clearwire may render cable or phone line Internet obsolete and set the stage for free Google mobile telephones supported by advertising. ‘It is like mobile Internet in your pocket,’ said Scenna Pabesh, a spokeswoman for nonprofit WiMAX Forum, an industry group that promotes interoperability of networks and devices using the format. WiMAX is deployed in 110 countries and Wednesday's unveiling of Clearwire should ensure the United States joins those ranks, according to Pabesh. The Asian Pacific region leads in WiMAX adoption. South Korea is considered a ‘success model’ with 150,000 people, most of them in Seoul, subscribing to WiMAX mobile services, she said. WiMAX quickly moves large amounts of digital data such as video or picture files across kilometers, as compared to Wi-Fi connections available in cyber cafes or other ‘hot spots’ where signals reach a few hundred meters or less. While the Clearwire network is not expected to be deployed in the United State for several years, Wednesday's announcement is seen as a ‘bellwether’ by the industry, according to Pabesh. Clearwire is one of the largest WiMAX spectrum owners worldwide, with an emphasis on Europe, according to WiMAX Forum. The new firm will start with a combined USD 3.2bn of investment from Internet search giant Google, computer chip maker Intel, cable firms Comcast and Time Warner Cable and service provider Bright House Networks. (AFP)

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