Sprint has debuted WiMax service in Baltimore as a test of what the system can do. WiMax has been discussed for more than five years as an alternative to traditional broadband. With speeds of 4 to 10 mbps, all wireless, the potential is enormous.
Sprint’s rollout, dubbed Xohm, has reasonable prices ($35 per month with no contract required) and bargain-priced hardware ($45 for the WiMax wireless card). There is even a $50 a month plan that gives you unlimited use and downloads for life. The network currently offers plenty of bandwidth, even for capacity-clogging applications like streaming media and file-sharing.
The downside is that it is only available in downtown Baltimore. But Sprint and Clearwire are currently merging their companies and technology, which promises to boost the availability of Xohm across the country. Their goal is to provide seamless wireless access across the country within a few years.
I’m trying not to get too excited. I’ve read about WiMax plans for years, but none of them ever came to fruition. I’m hopeful that this latest attempt will not fall flat on its face. WiMax networks are under construction in Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore.; Philadelphia; Dallas/Fort Worth; and Chicago, and are all scheduled to be active by early 2009. By 2010, it is estimated that 60 to 80 million people will have access to Xohm, with numbers increasing exponentially after that.
Now, if it can just get spread to enough places, and create true competition with existing bandwidth choices…I’d be a happy camper!