Nov/Dec 2003

Get ready for some new technology in the wireless world. Wi-Fi hotspots are really only just taking off, yet now a new wireless broadband standard called WiMax is on the way. And there is talk of "Bluetooth hotspots" as well.

The new WiMax wireless broadband standard, IEEE 802.16, is being developed under the aegis of the WiMax Forum (whose members include Intel, Nokia and Proxim). Whereas standard Wi-Fi, or 802.11b, has a maximum data transfer rate of 11 megabits per second and a range of under a mile, WiMax is said to have a capacity of 70 megabits per second and a range of 30 miles.

This means that it can connect wireless hotspots themselves to the Internet wirelessly, eliminating a need for the troublesome "last-mile" link. That in turn could give an enormous boost to the potential of hotspots for mobile computer users.

It is also seen as presenting a fixed-line connectivity solution for rural areas where there is no ADSL broadband. A further variant, 802.20, is also in the offing, putting more emphasis on direct use by mobiles.

 

Meanwhile, there are moves to let Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones talk directly to local wireless hotspots, from which they can be linked to some kind of fixed phone network - all without ever touching a mobile phone provider's native wireless system. Bluetooth is the low-power wireless networking standard that lets devices such as PDAs and phones "talk" to each other. The latest Bluetooth technology extends the local range far enough to give it this added potential.

US-based hotspot specialist Boingo Wireless has been a pioneer of this concept, and now UK-based Recall Group has joined forces with Gamma Telecom to develop a Local software solution that connects mobiles with Gamma's established terrestrial phone network.

Watch this space!