see comments "bottom posted" [below]. thanks, Mike S. On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 4:37 PM, Carlos Macedo Gomes < powerofprimes@gmail.com> wrote: > Full disclosure: I work for Intel but not in our Wireless Group. > > On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:03 PM, Joseph Sinclair < > plug-discussion@stcaz.net> wrote: > >> There are some substantial differences between WiMax and WiFi. > > > Agreed. WiFi is 802.11 (b,a,g,n) certified by the WiFi Alliance ( > http://www.wi-fi.org/ ) WiMAX is 802.16 (e or d) certified by WiMAX Forum > (http://www.wimaxforum.org/ ) > > But there are also some basic similarities. Both are > data communications standards that directly support IPv4 and IPv6. Both > bring native IPv4/IPV6 to consumers via radio frequency (i.e., RF, radio, > wireless). Only WiMAX does direct IPv4/IPv6 across large distances (i.e. > WANs) using RF. LTE brings cellular RF over large distances closer to > IPv4/IPv6 but it's still not a pure data communications standard since it > has some genetic inheritance of legacy cellular designs and specifications. > WiMAX and current celluar services are complementary. WiMAX and LTE are > not so complementary due to basic overlaps in tech and in competing > business. > > My elevator pitch would be: Both LTE and WiMAX bring data to RF WANs but > LTE is born of cellular (with inheritance) and WiMAX is born of > Ethernet/IPv4/IPV6 (with inheritance). > > The Muni WiFi nets are about providing 802.11 throughout an area. >> Considering the limited range of the 2.4GHz band used, it's fairly difficult >> and there tend to be a lot of small dead zones. > > > Not to mention that 802.11 doesn't include roaming, meshing, robust > security (e.g., authentication, identification, confidentiality) that are > needed for continuous & contiguous wide area coverage and secure access. > http://www.wimaxmaps.org/ > > WiMax is a wide-area technology in a completely different (and fully >> licensed) band. WiMax placements cannot be done by consumers because you >> have to pay a lot of money for the location-specific license and meet FCC >> siting requirements. ClearWire holds most (about $3 billion worth >> transferred from Sprint) of the WiMax licenses in the US. > > > Right now the carriers own the transport part of the WiMAX equation. That > doesn't rule out the ability of other businesses from providing the backend > now offered (or planned) by carriers. Small groups might be able to create > smaller WiMAX (or 802.16) clouds that may or may not mesh w/ the carriers. > Wireless Phoenix (http://www.wireless-phoenix.com/) already > offers private label WiMAX in Phoenix and other groups should be able to > come up w/ various business models leveraging the new technology including > free (as in speech and as in beer). That's assuming WiMAX succeeds as a > technology... :-) Some folks are already looking into open sourcing the > client side of the technology: > http://www.linuxwimax.org/Home > > http://www.openclovis.org/project-poll/project-idea-building-wimax-wireless-broadband-802-16e-product-on-top-of-atca-platform > http://www.embeddedrelated.com/usenet/embedded/show/79241-1.php > > http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/open-source-linux/2009/02/linux-and-wimax-become-friends---finally.html > > WiMax is more of a competitor to 3G cellular. Some have put it forward as >> the 4G cellular standard, but it's not clear what will happen there, since >> Sprint and Intel prefer WiMax, but NGMN chose LTE, and many carriers don't >> care which is used, as long as everyone uses the same radio standard. > > > I don't see WiMAX directly competing w/ 3G. WiMAX and current 3G celluar > services are complementary (data vs cellular). WiMAX and LTE are not so > complementary due to tech overlaps (small items) and business overlaps > (large items). > > ymmv, > C.G. > > -- > powerofprimes@gmail.com > Carlos Macedo Gomes > _sic itur ad astra_ > http://claimid.com/cmgomes > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > Thanks, CG.I may not have read all of your explanations half as carefully as they were written, but you (and at least "some" of the others, too) seem to have a good perspective on the "big picture", and a good knack for putting it in to terms that help to make it easy (/easiER) to understand.-- Mike Schwartz Glendale AZ schwartz@acm.org