Information Research Weblog

WiMAX is actually an industry consortium, but its name has become shorthand for the standard it is promoting - IEEE 802.16 - for broadband wireless access. It comes to notice today because of trials by the BBC, which Yahoo! News reports as follows:

Four radio-broadband trials being conducted by BT in rural parts of the UK could be the prelude to a full-scale deployment of WiMax in Britain.

These trials involve broadband fixed access, with customers attaching a receiver to their houses, but the telco is very interested in the idea that more advanced versions of WiMax will support high-speed mobile broadband.

Ian Robinson, head of emerging products at BT Retail, said: "If the potential benefits of WiMax, such as voice services and portability, are realised, then there might be a case for rolling out a WiMax service more widely."