Putting a cap on the WiMAX hype

In his latest commentary, fellow ZDNet blogger George Ou takes WiMAX by the horns and shakes out several misunderstandings of what the anticipated wireless technology means to Wi-Fi, showing how it shares a common denominator with Wi-Fi bigger than most think. 

The key differentiator is not range, speed, or security, points out Ou, but rather the ability for WiMAX to operate in both the licensed radio band and unlicensed radio band (Wi-Fi is designed for only unlicensed use). "This means that licensed WiMAX operation will typically be used by Wireless ISP operators", said Ou. "WiMAX will have its place consolidating and standardizing the wireless microwave ISP market, but it will not directly compete against most Wi-Fi implementations."