Nortel quits the mobile WiMAX game
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jan 30th 2009 2:02PM
posted Jan 30th 2009 2:02PM
Sure, Clearwire is still busily rolling out its mobile WiMAX network across the US, but the fledgling wireless standard isn't having the best time of it lately -- Nokia just discontinued the N810 WiMAX Edition, which was easily the highest-profile WiMAX product on the market, and now Nortel is closing down its entire mobile WiMAX division. Considering Nortel's struggle to stay afloat in our super-awesome economy, the move isn't too shocking -- but at least Nortel partner Alvarion is working to pick up the pieces, so hopefully the impact on the broader WiMAX market won't be too huge.
As of now, it would be a miracle if this standard survives, let alone gets adopted by the masses.
Intel is putting a lot behind it... My school is working with intel on testing equipment. We currently have WiMax everywhere on campus. :) You can also connect up to ~8 blocks off campus too.
Sprint said they were testing WiMAX infrastructure in DC last autumn. Still no news. I almost lost hope.
WiMax works well in Singapore.... But frankly I don't use it as much as most people do. I still prefer 3.5G standard or my home wireless...
f*** WiMax
Common world standard, LTE for the win!!!!!!!!!
my thoughts exactly
You got that backwards. WiMax is the open standard [WiMax is based on a IEEE standard (802.16)] and LTE is a proprietary protocol developed by the carriers to maintain lock-in. It's expected that LTE will win the war since it's what the carriers want but it won't be available for another three years and WiMax is here now (albeit in limited areas).
@Chad: Actually he said 'common world standard' by which I suspect he means 'used around the world'...
Except of course, that's not true either. No one is using LTE yet. Most places are JUST getting into HSDPA (3G) and HSPA. On the other hand, WiMAX and WiMAX Mobile (WiBro) is in use in many countries around the world including S. Korea where it's in been in use for a couple of years, Canada which has two national WiMAX or pre-WiMAX networks and Australia.
To make it all even more entertaining, my understanding is that LTE and WiMAX are actually very similar in terms of protocol implementation - but, as you note, LTE is designed for carrier lockin and backward compatibility (or more accurately, fallback) to 3G and EDGE.
On the other hand, and I think this is really an important point a lot of the LTE fans miss: WiMAX *isn't* a cell phone protocol. It's more akin to WiFi. Technically, anyone can go out and buy a WiMAX router and make their own private little 10Km wide WiMAX cell and it's not even that horribly expensive. You can't, on the other hand, do that with LTE.
That's why I'm constantly amazed at the antipathy the Engadget staff show towards WiMAX. For a group so obsessed with anti-DRM, insane data rate plans and the kind of bizarre regulations and AUP rules imposed by the phone company on their data offerings, you'd think they be desperate for a parallel system that's a pervasive as the phone system, but not run by the cellcos.
Mobile WiMax is not going to survive (in the USA at least)...
WiMax Needs to Survive! I'm Tired of Verizon Capping my usage for $60 a month!
WiMax is much cheaper and faster!!
WiMax has every reason to become the next standard, if you did your research...
To be honest, Nortel is like seconds away from going bankrupt - so concluding WiMAX is in trouble because Nortel is dropping makes as much sense as assuming cellphones, VoIP or office PBX systeme are in trouble for the same reason.
Wider views people. "I don't like WiMAX" + "A company that makes WiMAX and a lot of other things is going under" != "WiMAX is going under."
They aren't seconds away....they are already there. Nortel declared bankruptcy on Jan.16 and shutting down their Wimax division makes complete sense given the LTE direction of the market:
http://www2.nortel.com/go/news_detail.jsp?cat_id=-8055&oid=100251468&locale=en-US
i love wiMax only if it would survive!
Well, unfortunately the carriers get away with this because the consumers don't know better by and large, and the people that do work for said carriers or companies that somehow partner with them. I would normally look to things like state politics to help in these situations since it's much like a highway by anything involving computers makes politicians go into I'm dumb mode. What really bothers me is that someone like Verizon could easily blanket many areas that don't have a good internet connection available with Wimax and get tons of customers. Instead they run fiber to the already wealthy areas that have had cable modems available since 1999. The internet is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity that people really need. Most local townships should just buy some lines and run them on their own...
Having lost $1.1 billion, I think Intel pretty much had it with WiMax. With Nortel doing chap11, the last few nails in the coffin for WiMax is pretty much sealed.
The telcos and suppliers won with LTE and it is sad as carriers will be the wireless bandwidth suppliers again. LTE has better efficiency but not by much and having carriers as the service providers means high prices for a long time.
For consumers, we need to stick to glass and our own 802.11n networks.
Yeah, Wimax is dying.
Wimax is here but Sprint is having some issues related to the device going back forward between the Wimax and 3g network when there are coverage gap. Once these bugs are ironed out you will a much aggressive launch of the Wimax network. Also I do believe with current president administration broadband access to every US home is on top of his priority on his list. Since Wimax is fair cheap and will reach 90% of the US people it will be the smart option. So we will see!!!!!
Will the U.S. Stimulus Package Give a Boost to Broadband Wireless and WiMAX?
http://www.wimax360.com/forum/topics/will-the-us-stimulus-package
Will the U.S. Stimulus Package Give a Boost to Broadband Wireless and
WiMAX?
http://www.wimax360.com/forum/topics/will-the-us-stimulus-package
Nortel droped out of the wimax game a while ago. The only thing they've done lately is end their partnership with Alvarion and Airspan. Prob more bad news in the near future.
There is no such thing as free lunch and what is what wimax promised.
It still requires infrastracture but there is no way to get the profits.
The same way you would not go to work if you don't get paid, no one really wants to invest in it without seing a return on that investment.
I don't understand... WiMax is fucking amazing, why aren't people using it?