WiMax Watch: Just Days Away From Citywide Hotspot
I've been secretly hoping Gus, my work spouse and new media tech whiz, would share his vast knowledge with the blog gang (because, really, I can't get him to stop telling me stuff at work). But, I've never outright asked him to do it formally for Consuming Interests because he's a busy, busy man.
And yet, all that psychic nudging must have worked because all on his own, Gus volunteered to head up WiMax Watch, a new category we're launching today to tell you about the very cool new thing that Sprint is doing right here in our cool little city.
I'm stoked about WiMax Watch so here's hoping you will be, too. I'm turning this post over to Gus now:
Tech geeks from all over the world will be focused next week on Baltimore, where Sprint is expected to announce the debut of their new wireless broadband network by Tuesday.
That's right, folks: It seems Baltimore's first in line for the roll-out of Sprint's XOHM network. Not New York City. Not Chicago. Not San Francisco. Good ol' Charm City will be the one to kick the tires of Sprint's new "fourth generation" (4G) wireless broadband network, which the company says is built specifically for heavy-duty wireless Web surfing.
Technophiles in other cities are clearly disappointed that Sprint chose B-more for the rollout. Just check out this thread over at the popular Engadget blog. Sorry, San Franciscans! (ed note: heheheh pbth!-- DD)
Their new network, which they're spending billions on, is based on the WiMAX standard and promises to turn much of the city into one big "hotspot." You know that Wi-Fi "hotspot" you like to use at your local coffee shop? It's about to get bigger. A whole lot bigger. Officially, all Sprint is saying right now is that they expect to "go live" in Baltimore by the end of September. We expect to see little devices that plug into your laptops and allow them to catch the WiMAX signal being made available for sale next week. We also expect Sprint to officially release a pricing schedule for the service, which reportedly won't involve long-term fixed contracts -- the kind you abhor with your cellphone plan -- and will be more flexible.
Sprint has said it plans to roll XOHM out in Washington DC and Chicago and elsewhere. Other major wireless competitors, such as Verizon and AT&T, are nipping at Sprint's heels with their own 4G wireless broadband network offerings, but those are at least two years away from market roll-out.
An official WiMax kickoff ceremony is slated for Oct. 8, at the Bond Street Wharf in Fells Point, beginning at 10 a.m. Officials from Sprint and Intel and other companies involved in the launch are expected to show off some new gadgets and demonstrate how well the network works.
Of course, we'll be seeking your impressions and opinions of XOHM. Keep in touch!
Comment about WiMax here on the blog. Get in touch with Gus at gus.sentementes(at)baltsun.com.
Categories: Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Technology, WiMAX Watch
Comments
I don't understand why so many people call XHOM a 4G network. It simply isn't. 806.12e-225, which the current mobile WiMAX is based on, won't meet 4G requirements or IMT-Advanced -- a standard yet to be decided.
DD: Gus says, "Ym is right. 4G is still technically a term in flux. But Sprint, obviously, will be heavily pushing whatever they develop on the WiMAX front to help define 4G standards in the future. For some background, check out this Wiki on 4G, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G
Posted by: Ym | September 26, 2008 5:52 PM
Finally, US will have Internet Cloud covering the cities. Access to information everywhere!!!
Posted by: Marko | September 28, 2008 6:58 PM
This is going to sound very basic, but if you need a plug-in for a laptop, what happens if your mobile device doesn't support that? For example, how would an iPhone -- which works far better on wi-fi for browsing than Edge or 3G -- use WiMax?
From Gus: "Good question. I don't think you'll be able to tap into wimax with the current iPhones that are on the market. So far, the plug-ins are only available for desktops and laptops.
Gus says: Smart phones in the near future from different brands, including Nokia and Motorola and Samsung ( i think) will start to come with Wimax capability. But so far, Apple hasn't jumped aboard this train. yet."
Posted by: Mary | September 29, 2008 8:15 AM
Hello! Will XHOM work with Apple laptops? Thanks.
Gus: For now, if you buy the plug-in (which i think is the $59.99 contraption) it will work and pick up the network. So, short answer: yes, Apple laptop users can tap into the network.
However, Sprint told me they don't yet have a deal with Apple to start embedding the WiMAX chip into their laptops. This just means if you go out and buy a new Apple laptop next month, it probably won't have the embedded WiMAX chip, but you can still use the plug-in device on it. Other laptop makers will start to embed the chip.
Posted by: Don | September 29, 2008 11:44 AM
Gus, I'd like to know about the security issues involved in WiMax. I think it's a great idea for fun stuff like web surfing, downloading videos, audio, etc, but what about those of us who conduct financial transactions (banking and buying things online with credit cards) over the internet. I've been doing this for over 10 years now and I NEVER use a wireless connection, even with encryption, for these transactions. A hard wired connection is a must for for me for security purposes. Any information you can provide regarding this issue while the trial is in town would be much appreciated.
Posted by: bob | September 29, 2008 11:48 AM
I'm flattered to hear you're starting WiMax Watch.
I have had WiMax Watch up and running since March 2005.
http://andyabramson.blogs.com/wimaxwatch/2005/03/welcome_to_wima.html
Gus: Thanks for checking in with us, Andy. In addition to the Wall Street Journal and USAToday articles you mention on your blog, this newspaper also covered the launch of the XOHM network in its hometown. Here's the link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-md.wimax29sep29,0,1295826.story
Posted by: Andy Abramson | September 29, 2008 11:52 AM
It's still a little confusing, is there ACTUAL WiMax service LIVE now? Has anyone connected to it and actually viewed data that came to them via WiMax? This really is exciting stuff, it's been a long time coming, billions of dollars have been spent commercializing this!
The folks at Unstrung an industry pub want to hear from you guys at the frontier:
http://www.unstrung.com/boards/message.asp?msg_id=165865
Gus: slels, yes. it's definitely live. I saw it working with my own eyes. To use it, you need to order -- online at www.xohm.com or by phone -- the plug-in devices, either for your home computer or your laptop, and pick the pricing plan that you want. It'll be a few weeks or months before these devices make their way to brick and mortar retail stores, so for now, online or phone orders are the only way to get them. We want to hear from WiMax users, too. Let us know how it's working for you.
Posted by: slels | September 30, 2008 9:11 AM
I'd planned to call Xohm's support and ask these questions, but I'll try them here first...
I have a sprint mobile broadband plug-in device all ready -- and i'm locked into a contract. Can I get out of that contract if I make the switch to Xohm?
Also, the Pick 2 plan, at $50/month, forever, seems very sweet. Can I buy the only two devices currently available and swap one out of the Pick 2 plan in the future if there's a new device I have to have?
Gus: ericb, terrific questions. I'm going to follow up with Sprint and get back to you with some answers.
Posted by: ericb | September 30, 2008 2:44 PM