The wide world of Wi-Max

June 26 2007 from CNNMoney.com – “(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Wireless Internet service works great - so long as you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot. But what if you could have wireless Internet everywhere you go, available on your laptop and cell phone, at speeds that can leave both DSL and 3G data networks in the dust?

That's what Sprint Nextel customers could get later this year, when the Reston, Va., carrier starts rolling out its $3 billion mobile Wi-Max network.

The promise of Wi-Max, which stands for worldwide interoperability for microwave access, has been talked about for years. Unlike Wi-Fi, which was designed to send signals no farther than 300 feet, only a few Wi-Max transmitters are needed to blanket an entire city with high-speed Internet connectivity.

Fasten your seat belts: The Internet service model of telecoms, cable companies, and cellular operators is about to be disrupted.

Sprint says its new service will go live in three markets - Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington - by the end of 2007. It will be the first U.S. carrier to launch the next-generation network, which already exists in South Korea and is five times faster than current 3G cellular data services. Sprint hopes to have coverage available to 100 million Americans in about 35 regions nationwide by 2009...

Sprint is not the only Wi-Max player. Clearwire, founded by famed cellular entrepreneur Craig McCaw, should have its network up and running in 2008, with coverage for 45 million people. "We're doing for the Internet what cell phones did for voice 20 years ago," says Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff.”

180 View – What do you think the impact will be if the internet is available everywhere? In the ERP world, it will extend the applications to everyone en route, in remote offices or in the field. Construction supervisors will be able to communicate in real time with head office and prevent mistakes made because of a lag in communications; companies that provide services directly to businesses and consumers will be more effective in responding to customer requests…