If you already have a data package with a teleco, you may not see the point in considering WiMAX as an option, but perhaps you should think again.
After all, it’s not just about bandwidth – although those companies investing in 3.5G will have you believe the 7.2Mb/s are competitive with the current WiMAX 802.16e standard, except, they’re not.
WiMAX technology only deals with data, so the whole spectrum is prioritized to data transmission. Mobile networks may have digitised their voice and messaging transmissions for example, but they downgrade data traffic to a lower priority, as the two have to share the same airwaves. Ultimately this means WiMAX networks will be nippier for surfing the net, but similarly VoIP traffic could suffer lag in very high usage areas.
Unfortunately, there are problems to the WiMAX equation. Current 3/3.5G infrastructure cannot be used with WiMAX and a separate infrastructure would have to be installed, at significant cost. Couple that with the fact Teleco’s cannot easily make tasty profits from the “unlimited” data packages we’ve all become accustomed to, and the fact no one outside the tech industry even knows what WiMAX is, and where is the real incentive?
Of the Taiwanese companies currently invested in WiMAX, there seems to be tentative adoption at best. Despite supporting up to a theoretical 30Mbit/s, a few of the biggest Taiwanese Teleco’s we talked to are only offering 2-4Mbit from most of their packages, and we could find only a single 16Mbit package available at significant cost.
Currently DSL-esq speed grades are what differentiate prices, but I doubt it will be long before we see a non-net neutrality friendly prioritizing of data traffic, in addition to different degrees of traffic shaping, for people who pay more.
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Matt Black is a freelance contributor to RCR Unplugged, residing in Taipei, Taiwan.
