That looks super cool!

quote:

Telecommunications Extreme Wi-Fi David M. Ewalt, 09.13.04, 2:55 PM ET Take that wireless hot spot in the local java joint, jack it up on steroids and use it to connect an entire city full of computers. That, in short, is WiMax, a cutting-edge wireless technology that's starting to prove its worth as a fast, cheap and easy networking option for businesses. Media consulting firm VMS has already used an early version of the technology to save money and improve efficiency. It started when VMS acquired a new company across town from its Manhattan headquarters, and CIO Gerry Louw had to find a way to connect the two offices with a secure network link. Typically, businesses will connect remote offices with a copper or fiber-optic cable, such as a T1 line, leased from and installed by a phone company. That's the route Louw planned to take--at least until he ran into an all-too-common hurdle. "Going to Verizon, it took three weeks even before I could get an e-mail back," he says. "I think the industry standard is, if you want to get a new T1, it takes six weeks. You can pay the charges to rush it, and it still takes six weeks." So Louw contacted TowerStream, a Middletown, R.I.-based provider of a wireless alternative sometimes referred to as WiMax. "With these guys it was literally a phone call," he says. The TowerStream service was up and running in a day and a half--saving the company from weeks of inefficiency and lost business. Wireless services like the one used by TowerStream work like the Wi-Fi systems that have become common in offices, homes and coffee shops--only on a much larger scale. Wi-Fi signals peter out after a few hundred feet and don't carry enough data to support more than a handful of Web surfers. But TowerStream's can broadcast for miles and have enough power to support an entire office full of users--the equivalent of a T1 line or more. In New York, TowerStream has numerous base stations located across the city, including one on top of the Empire State Building. Customers attach an antenna to the outside of their own office building, and point it at one of the base stations. Once they get a signal, they run their networks just like it was a physical connection to the Internet. Services like TowerStream's are increasingly lumped under the umbrella term "WiMax," short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, though they might be better considered "pre-WiMax." Officially WiMax conforms to a standard called 802.16, which was only recently finalized by international standards groups and isn't in commercial use yet. Chips that can use WiMax are being designed by such companies as Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) and Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ) and should start hitting the market in 2005. Various telecommunications providers are also testing out the service, including Verizon Communications (nyse: VZ - news - people ) and Qwest Communications (nyse: Q - news - people ). Once those chips are in use and service providers have set up WiMax networks that span cities, the system will connect people as well as companies, and any user with a WiMax chip in his or her notebook computer will be able to get online anywhere in a city. It's not that far-off of a scenario. Last week, Sean Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's communications group, told attendees at the International Telecommunication Union conference in Busan, South Korea, that he expected Intel's Wi-Fi chips, code-named "Rosedale," to appear in notebook computers by 2006 and in phone handsets by 2007. The early versions of this wireless service have already proved their worth to corporate users. Since deploying the system in March, VMS's Louw has found the connection to be as reliable and robust as an actual wire. Some users worry about the reliability and security of data sent flying through the air. But TowerStream's service isn't affected by weather or other obstacles, and the data stream is encrypted to keep out eavesdroppers. "The only thing you have to worry about is damage to the broadcast towers," says Louw, "and at the end of the day, the probability of that happening is very close to the probability of someone doing some electrical work in my building and knocking out the physical wire." The best feature of broadband fixed wireless may be its price tag. Companies that provide WiMax services can offer them more cheaply and easily than a T1 line since they don't need to install or maintain a physical network. Louw says he's paying about half of what he would for a fiber line. TowerStream charges $500 a month for a wireless equivalent to a T1, generally cheaper than wired alternatives, which can vary wildly in price, based on provider and the length of the link. In certain markets, including New York City and Chicago, TowerStream offers a special deal with the equivalent of three T1s for $500. Other small telecommunications providers are bound to be particularly bullish on the technology, says Meta Group analyst David Willis, since it allows them to sell service to businesses without having to rent lines from the larger telcos. "This is an opportunity for third parties that don't own infrastructure to offer a variety of telecom services," he says. "This is going to work for anybody who doesn't own the fiber or copper."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/enterprisetec..._0913wimax.html

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