Nokia to launch WiMax tablet?

Nokia may launch a WiMax version of its Linux-based N810 Internet tablet.

According to the Internet Tablet Talk blog, a WiMax version of the Linux-based N810 tablet was briefly spotted on a Nokia website before being pulled down. The blog speculated that the device will be launched on Tuesday at the CTIA conference in Las Vegas.

If this turns out to be the case, the device will mark the world's largest handset manufacturer's first foray into WiMax, which is a long-range wireless technology being promoted in competition with the long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G.

WiMax's success is largely dependent on which market it is operating in. Western Europe, for example, has so much 3G infrastructure in place that WiMax is widely seen as having little chance of becoming the dominant next-generation wireless technology, whereas several developing countries are enthusiastically adopting WiMax as a way of skipping scanty wired broadband infrastructure in favour of wireless.

The UK does, nonetheless, have a handful of WiMax networks in place, largely rolled out by Freedom4, the former Pipex Wireless. It is not yet known whether the WiMax version of the N810 will launch in the UK, as Nokia has refused to comment on the speculation surrounding its existence.