WiMAX now officially part of the 3G standard

We remember when WiMAX was just a twinkle in a wireless engineer's eye, and now it's all ready for the big time, as the ITU officially approved the spec as part of the 3G standard today. That's doubly special since WiMAX is the first non-cellular tech to get approval as 3G, but with services like Sprint's Xohm blurring the line for consumers, we can see how it's easier to just lump it all together. Of course, Sprint confusingly says Xohm is "4G," but it looks like they may need to tone it down now that the ITU has spoken. Either way, the ITU's decisions usually get enacted by governments, which means carriers with 3G spectrum will soon be able to start building out WiMAX networks without additional regulations. It's so bittersweet when they grow up, isn't it?

[Via PhoneScoop]

[Ypoknons @ Oct 19th 2007 9:58PM]

Analysts have been looking at WiMax as cellular technology since early this year, if not earlier. I'm just surprised it's officially 3G, not 4.

[LukeA @ Oct 19th 2007 10:19PM]

"an wireless engineer"? Really?

[JohnPhilips @ Oct 19th 2007 10:48PM]

an wireless hero?

[Jesse S @ Oct 20th 2007 2:11AM]

Where'd my iPod go...

[spacegravity4me @ Oct 19th 2007 10:25PM]

yea, well i also remember when they said that this was going to be free and ubiquitous somehow. Well #$@# me then cause i guess that isn't happening either. Just means more data plans and crap! Thanks so much! Ta! Mother F&*#%!$

[Saint @ Oct 19th 2007 11:10PM]

WiMax networs, excellent!

[Adam @ Oct 19th 2007 11:22PM]

I've heard about these "networs" but they are so mysterious; very hard to find any concrete evidence about them on the web.

[viper @ Oct 19th 2007 11:33PM]

clearwire uses wimax? EV-DO? Whatever its almost quick enough use it for XBL 2 laptops would recommend

rank FIOS, DSL, clearwire, Sat

Get this both my neighbors have cable but the cable company will not service me

[ethana2 @ Oct 20th 2007 4:23PM]

I don't know what they use but my whole city (Anchorage) is covered with it almost as well as it's covered with cell towers. We have a modem, but they sell PC cards. They probably work with NDIS wrapper, but I'm not sure.

Cell phones can finally die. Wengo FTW. :)

all 5 bars on the modem right now...

[sxc @ Oct 20th 2007 12:03AM]

"WiMax is the first non-cellular technology to be approved by the organization as a 3G or 4G technology."
Wtf engadget, ur dumb?

[404error @ Oct 20th 2007 2:39AM]

no ur dumb

[sxc @ Oct 20th 2007 6:21AM]

d`oh. not.

[Moorio @ Oct 20th 2007 11:20AM]

Stop talking.

[Bryan @ Oct 20th 2007 1:50PM]

Technically isn't 4G that LTE (LONG TERM EVOLUTION) GSM tech that AT&T and Verizon are going to be competing for development of in 4 years or so?

[Bryan @ Oct 20th 2007 1:53PM]

Technically isn't 4G that UTRAN LTE (HSDPA+HSUPA)(LONG TERM EVOLUTION) GSM tech that AT&T and Verizon are going to be competing for development of in 4 years or so?

[ethana2 @ Oct 20th 2007 4:31PM]

Death to proprietary cell networks! WiMax FTW!

VoIP and cells killed landlines.
VoIP and WiMax will kill cells.
I will happy to see it.

And police and emergency workers? Get with the times. If you need me to send GPS data with VoIP to help me out, say so. I'll do it. Your incompetence is endangering the public, who doesn't want to pay an extra $60/mo. just to be able to dial one three digit number. And do it with an _open_ protocol.

[Kevin @ Oct 20th 2007 6:22PM]

Believe it or not, power outages that last longer then the 30 minutes your battery backup can cover still happen in parts of the U.S. You claim to live in alaska, yet you do not know how unstable the power is here. Landlines will live on.

[montevale @ Oct 22nd 2007 4:06AM]

If you ever had a real office and used multiple phone lines you would kick that voip in the groing very swiftly on the way out of your busines life. The old landline and the pbx combo has been battle tested and voip will have to wait in line (with all the pun intended) and few protocol upgrades before it moves in ranks to replace the dinosaurs who are mean and still reign supreme.
WiMax is hardly going to kill the cell phones it is however most likely going to kill the data transfer over the cell networks. Cell networks were designed with the voice communications in mind, WiMax was crafted to address the data transfer tasks.

[christy @ Oct 30th 2007 7:48PM]

I know nothing... but to me the bigger picture starts with .... follow the green... there are so many people out there without access because of the "last mile" issues with connectivity.... WiMax is going to do more than just transfer data...
I'd like to know who is going to be setting up the rural areas... and get a piece of that investment dollar...