EyeForWireless: The Potential For WiMax

The second panel of the day is focused on "the potential for WiMax" which is mostly focused on real life examples of current wireless broadband implementations done by either Redline Communications or PDQ Link (the two speakers) - though, none are specifically WiMax considering, of course, that the standard isn't set yet. In terms of where things are going, again, there are no surprises. Right now, the focus seems to be on solving specific needs rather than more widespread deployments. That is providing connectivity for a specific application where other options aren't viable. In terms of regular broadband replacement, it's more focused on areas where other solutions aren't serving the population. Still, the expectation is that as the technology matures it will start to fill in other areas. While the obvious early targets are places where wireline doesn't reach enough customers, it's moving to a sort of hybrid world where wireline providers are using wireless to expand their reach, and eventually more towards full wireless systems where wireless is used for connectivity and backhaul. The other interesting point made during the session concerns interference - and how do you deal with it. Michael Anderson from PDQ Link repeated multiple times the idea that you can sue others for interfering with your wireless (though, he admits later that you may not win) - which seems like a recipe for quite a few lawsuits. His argument is basically that it should be a first come, first serve situation, and any new entrant needs to make sure that others aren't filling up the spectrum first.