Sobre a primeira rede de wiMax/4G (EUA)

«Sprint Nextel will build the first nationwide mobile WiMax network, giving 100 million Americans wireless Internet access four times faster than current high-speed networks by the end of 2008, Sprint CEO Gary Forsee said at a press conference today. The "4G" (fourth-generation) network will launch by the end of 2007, Forsee said. Prices will be considerably less than current data charges, said Sprint CTO Barry West. (...) "Sprint is actively engaged with [consumer electronics] product leaders," according to Forsee. Motorola, Samsung and Intel will all help build Sprint's WiMax infrasutructure. Consumers should expect to see a whole range of different kinds of devices on the network, including "new, small types of PCs," said Intel executive vice president Sean Maloney, also present at the press conference. (...) Mobile WiMax, otherwise known as 802.11e, will boost real-world download speeds to 2-4 megabits/second, Forsee said. "Much of this 4G usage will be user-generated content," Forsee said. "Imagine accessing and building MySpace and YouTube literally on the fly."  (... But the advantage of Mobile WiMax isn't just that individual download speeds will rise. It's that Sprint's virtual "pipes" will be able to support more simultaneous users at less cost, West said, and that WiMax chips cost "around 1/10" the price of those of competing technologies.»

fonte: PC Mag, «Sprint Nextel Goes To The WiMax», 8/8/06