First, there was Hi-Fi. Then there was Wi-Fi. And, as any golfer knows, there’s Maxfli. So where does WiMax fit into all this? How about as the potential successor to the aforementioned Wi-Fi? How about as a high-speed wireless medium that’s fast enough not only for the Internet, but for simultaneous streaming video, telephone, and online gaming — at home and quite possibly in your car? How about as a “last mile” technology that blows the doors off the current Wi-Fi “hotspot” limitations of approximately 300 feet, and instead delivers a range measured in kilometers — anywhere from one or two km all the way up to fifty, depending on factors we’ll discuss momentarily.

If that sounds impressive, know this: WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is no pipe dream. The technology is already deployed to some extent in more than 100 countries worldwide. Leading chipmaker and WiMax proponent Intel has invested several billion in WiMax and is currently developing chips and hardware (such as the Centrino 2) with embedded support.

And just over the border, megacorps such as Google, Time Warner, Comcast, Sprint, and of course Intel, are throwing a ton of effort and mountains of cash ($3.2 billion USD at last count) into establishing a nationwide WiMax network. The conglomerate hopes that fully half the US population will have WiMax availability by 2010, and dreams of a world where users can have the same level of broadband service they’re accustomed to on their home PC wherever they go, without wires.

WiMax can be seen as the next logical step in the evolution of modern connectivity. And in developing countries, it may be just the thing to bring the information of the Internet and large-scale communication to those who have never before had either. Certainly it’s a more affordable solution than digging and burying cables. Let’s take a look at how it works.

Currently, Internet (and email) access arrives at your computer through one of three common avenues. At home, chances are you subscribe to a high-speed broadband service that travels via cable or telephone wire (DSL) all the way to the outlet in your wall. You then plug a modem into that outlet and connect your computer or router to the modem.

However, if you’re not within the range of local broadband service (as is the case in some rural areas) or if the monthly charges of broadband seem a bit too unwieldy, you might be one of the many people who still rely on old-school dial-up access. It may be slower, but it remains a viable option in some regions — Saskatchewan, for example, where twelve percent of the population remains outside the reaches of DSL and wireless broadband.

But if you want to unplug — either at home or on the road — Wi-Fi is currently the only option. Wi-Fi is essentially identical to hardwired broadband right up to the very last link in the chain — the modem/router. Here, the data moves to and from the computer wirelessly, via a transmitter and radio waves, much like a sophisticated walkie-talkie.

Next: How does it work?

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