Sprint, Clearwire Deal Paves Way for WiMax

WiMax services may finally be coming to a city near you. For quite some time, Sprint and Clearwire have been trying to close a deal to bring WiMax nationwide. However, due to finances, the deal was near collapse when Intel stepped in. Behind the financing of Intel, it appears that the deal is going to go through and WiMax will finally become a nationwide reality.

Many people think that WiMax is just WiFi. Therefore, not everyone is excited about it. WiMax is so much more than WiFi, though. WiMax would change the internet and phone systems of this country. WiFi cafes would be wiped out, as there would no longer be a need to search for a hot spot. Technology as we know it would be changed.

WiFi has a very small range of service. Hot spots have to be found, and it is easy to go out of range. WiFi in the home also has a short rage of functionality. If you have wireless internet set up at your home, you might find that it works better in the living room than it does in the bedroom. That is because the service only reaches so far before the signal weakens.

WiMax would have a much broader range. Instead of coming off a little transmitter in a wireless café or at your home, and essentially be a part of a broadband network, WiMax would come from a cell phone tower. Think about how cell phones work. Cell phone towers are able to transmit signals for miles. They will have the same kind of function for WiMax. Internet services would be able to blanket large areas. Then, when the signal weakens, another cell phone tower will be able to transmit the signal. Basically, if you are capable of having cell phone service in your area, then you would also be able to take advantage of WiMax.

The capabilities this will offer will be tremendous. If you're on a trip, you would be able to access the internet through a WiMax connection. Your computer would have to be WiMax capable, but all it would take was a simple upgrade for that to happen. Right now, nearly all computers are WiFi capable. Soon, they will be WiMax capable.

WiMax also offers a phone service. While currently a lot of cable companies offer the ability to use a phone through the cable service, WiMax would allow phone calls to be made through the WiMax service. The computer would be all that was needed to make the phone calls.

The great thing about WiMax is that the capabilities are almost limitless. As WiMax becomes widespread, more and more technology will adapt to it. Maybe iPods will become WiMax compatible. Most gadgets could take advantage of the technology.

Possibly most importantly, WiMax would be able to reach areas that have been left out in the cold thus far. Not every place can get broadband internet. Therefore, they still have to use dialup, which should be obsolete at this time. However, WiMax would be able to reach more places.

Also, WiMax would be cheaper than the standard broadband service. It would cover a greater area for a cheaper cost. Service provider fees should go down with WiMax because there are not any cables to set up.

All in all, WiMax is a great technology, and it is the way of the future. While broadband providers may be unhappy that it is on its way, consumers should be happy. It will make the internet more accessible for a wider base of people and be much more cost effective. Look for WiMax to start up within the next year or so. As long as the funding continues to go through as planned, it is on its way.