WiMAX 2 standard, and its theoretical 1Gbps downloads, to be finalized soon
By Tim Stevens 
posted August 15th 2010 10:10AM
posted August 15th 2010 10:10AM
While WiMAX isn't exactly streaming through the air everywhere at this point, domestically it has a solid head-start on LTE. Despite that, with many major players (like Verizon and AT&T) already choosing the latter of those two, WiMAX has a tough fight ahead of it for 4G supremacy. Maybe its successor will charm the competition, WiMAX 2 -- the artist formerly known as 802.16m. That standard will boast theoretical speeds of 1Gbps for downloads, though users are rather more likely to see something in the 100Mbps range (still a huge jump over what gets an Evo 4G user excited today). When can we expect all this bandwidth? The standard is due to be finalized in November, then hardware is expected to be ratified through 2011 before getting bolted to towers in 2012 where it will, thankfully, be fully compatible with O.G. WiMAX devices. Something good to look forward to, or too little too late to hold off the LTE hoards?
Is that before or after the 2012 apocalypse?
@terence
It's what causes it.
Such massive speeds available everywhere through cellular networks is just what SkyNet needs to upload itself and all its bloatware to every single computing device on the planet. (Including the 3GHz ARM Eagle and octo-core Snapdragon based smartphones.)
@TT
octo-core Hummingbird > octo-core Snapdragon
@Plazmic Flame
Octo core OMAP > Everything
@terence It can be neither before or after an event that does not exist.
@terence
I'm just wondering, with how great WiMax is, how come everyone wants LTE?
@terence
it wil be during the apocalypse. We will need those speeds on the go when everything is going crazy.
@DroidCLH
Pwned
@terence I read that LTE is really a 3.9G not a true 4G (by some standards) so why would WIMAX 2 have any problems with LTE if the O.G. WIMAX is better to begin with.
@terence By international (ITU) standards, neither LTE or WiMAX are 4G technologies. Both are, indeed "3.9G", as has become common parlance.
WiMAX 2, on the other hand, is completely 4G compliant, by the standard. It'll do speeds up to 100 Mbps for mobile applications, and up to 1 Gbps for fixed facilities.
The LTE counterpart is "LTE Advanced," which is also 4G compliant. I don't know if it's expected to hit towers by 2012, but it should be hot on the heels of WiMAX 2.
The reason for the industry predilection for LTE is probably due to the base technology... LTE is GSM, and WiMAX is 802.11. GSM tech is better known and understood than its rival, and that goes a long way toward adoption. There is also a desire, I believe, to unite everyone in the world under that GSM umbrella, though the diversity seems to be driving the technologies forward these days, rather than hindering them as has been the case for decades.
For every announcement regarding future LTE projects, installations, and devices, it seems that WiMAX actually does something in the present to keep the tech vital— deployment, advancement, consumer adoption. I guess it remains to be seen what the ultimate winner will be.
@macserv
While LTE is also from the same standards group as GSM, they're wildly different technologies. Saying "LTE is GSM" is patently false. Anyone interested should get info from the source at http://www.3gpp.org/LTE .
@TT Bloatware? I don't think skynet is trying to install some hp printer software on everyones devices
@terence Just another reason for me to buy the Evo!!
@terence
I can't wait for the 4G WP7 phones to come out!
@McKirf
Wimax is still ahead of LTE though, so if Wimax 2 isn't getting on towers until 2012, it's likely LTE-Adv won't come any faster. Also, isn't GSM inherently broken by design? While LTE isn't GSM outright it shares the some of the same makeup, which = vulnerable LTE.
100 Mbps mobile (1Gbps fixed) is 4G.. that's what the aim is. Yes, other countries are way ahead of us, but they have a lot less red tape and a LOT less previous architecture to wade through than we do. We have everything from phone lines/copper cables/etc architecture to sift through, when there's countries that went from rice patties straight to wireless.
Also I imagine in the USA there is a lot more throttling to occur. Wimax can get up to around 40 or more Mbps right now, but you see 10 at best coming from sprint/clearwire. Don't start thinking LTE will be any different, not to mention you'll be paying out the ass for it.
Another thing is spectrum.. Sprint has the most spectrum to expand on (though it's not a good building pentration frequency), so while Wimax2 is deploying on their 2.5~GHz spectrums, AT&T and Verizon are gonna be hurting for spectrum more than T-Mo when they reach full HSPA in the network.
How long until we see ads for 1Gbps download speeds for only $15 a month. With the fine print saying 200mb monthly download cap.
@kabloink
I certainly think we'll have higher caps in 2012.
@kabloink
Thankfully its tied in with SPRINT, who doesn't limit their data anywhere near what other carriers do. At least for now, but I sure as hell take am loving it, having switched from ATT.
@kabloink Haha, its actually nice right now, wait for google's net neutrality plans to take off, then you will praise today's 200mb like a hindu praising a cow
@arash
+1
@Failbait
No way in hell they wouldn't limit 100Mbs. People would use that for their home internet to! downloading 500GBs a month. You know how much they'd have to charge for that?
@kabloink
Wish it did but EVO's 4g didn't work out for me, only got reception when I was riding on a major highway. Bought a used Droid and got back on Verizon.
@j3oomerang So now your paying more for just 3G on verizon rather than on sprint were you get great 3G like verizon aswell as 4G even though it not fully deployed( verizon doesn't even have yet). What you did there was really a justified move, I mean if you had bad 3G on sprint then yeah. But whatever floats your boat.
@j3oomerang Have to agree with the guy above me. You weren't happy with your 4G service so you downgraded to 3G only (which you already had) and are paying more through Verizon. Brilliant move buddy.
@j3oomerang
Are you serious, did you really do that, or are you pulling our legs.
@Failbait
Sprint doesn't limit 4G at all. 4G is completely unlimited while 3G technically has a cap, but I'm on some plan from 2 years ago and I just did 20 gigabytes of download last month, no penalties, so who knows. But I do know the 4G is in fact unlimited. I'm a Sprint customer, and I approved this message.
100Gbps? think I just jizzed in my pants.
@muchlove
It says 100 Mbps, not Gbps.
Also, TeliaSonera already provides an LTE network in Sweden that has been reported to give download speeds up to 90 Mbps, so I can't say that I'm very impressed. If it can actually provide 1 Gbps, that would be something. That would mean that wireless internet have caught up with wired.
@Chenz
But you forget latency ;) ,people always forget about that and think about Mbps/Gbps.
So for gamers the latency is more important than the speed, because a game only consumes approximately about 50KBps.
@muchlove Theoretical 1gps......and with how much spectrum? lols
How big is Sweden compared to the US?
@Tom1l21 I'd say comparable to California. So it would be like California already having WiMax 2, at least in the major cities, I guess...
@Chenz "TeliaSonera is the first operator in the world to offer a commercial LTE network. It has launched services in parts of Stockholm and Oslo, Norway using the 2.6GHz band. Using a Samsung Electronics modem and a broadband-measuring site to conduct the test, Northstream said the service never exceeded 12 Mbps on the downlink. However the networks upload speeds came in at 5 Mbps, which was impressive to the firm." That's been the general experience with LTE, it shines in the lab but in real life it's very close to WiMax. Half of Sweden's population lives in the 5 largest metro areas, so I don't think coverage is too much of a challenge.
@Smedis California has 3 and a half times the pop of Sweden... So its really not a fair comparison..
@Chenz
Yeah in 10 years, everyone is going to forget what that fibre and coax running up to their houses were for after they dug (before they called) wondering "what the heck are these?" Hopefully they don't hit a gas line as those aren't obsolete... yet!
Bah, T-Mobile's got my back with HSPA+.
Right, T-Mobile?
You out there?
Still making phones?
Hello?
@drust
They don't make phones....
@element4life3
What's up semantics.
/sarcasm
@element4life3
that explains a lot... guess I'll stop writing them angry emails now.
@drust
That won't mean anything once lte advanced and wimax 2 comes out
@DroidCLH
Except I'm using HSPA+ now.
By the time WMX2 and LTEA roll out in two or three years I'll have gone through two or three more handsets.
@drust
I up ranked you because your reply made me lol.
Welcome to yesteryear, USA :)
When they say "fully compatible" that's all well and good but does that mean the devices will be able to take advantage of these new speeds or be capped at the lower ones?
Dear Sprint,
I just switched to you last Monday for your evo goodness. Please do not fall behind now. I have two years to go.
@Stratus41298
Theirs a better 4G phone coming out you should have waited for that
@DroidCLH There's always going to be a better phone coming out so I wouldn't feel bad, besides the EVO is pretty much the best phone out there, definitely in the top four. Anyway if its a recent purchase you might still be able to use the 30 day exchange.
@DroidCLH
Not necessarily. The EVO is still a great phone for those who dont want keyboard, or the ugly, iPhone-lookalike layout Samsung added. They're both great phones -- OPTIONS mean "Win-Win" for consumers... just depends on your preferences, albeit the Epic 4G has some more advanced features than the iPhone4 && Evo... again, *preference*
@thinkindependent As nice as the Epic 4G is I wouldn't trade it for my Evo. Maybe in the future when the price drops I'll buy it and have two sexy phones. Maybe.
@fendz
Don't forget to turn on some bone thugs in harmony that you downloaded on napster, while you're at it...