WiMax wireless broadband technology has the potential to provide internet access to entire cities and other large areas, the Telecommunications and Internet Federation said yesterday.
In the first of a quarterly series of technology group meetings, TIF discussed the development of WiMax in the Irish market.
“WiMax offers a high-speed broadband alternative for Irish businesses and consumers,” TIF director Tommy McCabe said.
“At present, WiMax can provide broadband speeds of 2Mbps up to 8Mbps, a high quality of service and is available on mobile, portable and fixed-end user equipment.
“However, it must be noted that fibre, cable and satellite will be necessary where larger bandwidth or greater distances are required,” McCabe added.
ComReg spectrum development manager Kevin Kennedy said that radio spectrum is an important national resource that supports a wide range of services, including mobile communications and wireless broadband, such as WiMax.
“The effective management and efficient use of this natural resource can lead to further competition and innovation to the benefit of consumers. WiMax uses frequencies between 3.4Ghz and 3.8Ghz and is an example of efficient use of licensed spectrum,” Kennedy said.
Peter Hendrick, Airspeed technical director, said WiMax is a proven technology with the ability to deliver a premium service level agreement to business and residential customers.
“Wi-Max is very suited to applications requiring a symmetrical broadband service,” Hendrick said.
David Boundy, research manager Intel Labs Europe, added: “As a major driver in the support and development of WiMax, Intel has designed embedded WiMax solutions for a variety of mobile devices, supporting the future of high-speed broadband on-the-go.”
By John Kennedy
Photo: TIF director Tommy McCabe
