Technologies come and go. Some promise to be the next best thing and then somehow they fizzle and are promptly forgotten. Sometimes it’s a case of being released too soon in the game, and sometimes it was just a bad idea to begin with. Remember the laser disc—those huge LP sized discs that were once big in Asia? Those had a very short run and then they disappeared from the planet. Many people, those in the tech industry are keen to toot their own horns when it comes to new developments, but the question is, can we really believe them? It seems sometimes that their claims are simply too grand. However, when it comes to a new technology called WiMax, you can rest assured that it is truly the next big thing to enter the mobile internet space.

Of course, it’s very easy to be doubtful. Companies often make claims that aren’t on par with reality. It’s doubly true when it comes to technology. Ordinary lay people who aren’t keen on things like technical specs have to be careful when someone promises them the world, or something akin to it in digital form. WiMax, however, will certainly be a game changer.

The next question, then, is of course, just what is WiMax and what does it have to offer? It’s a new technology that takes mobile internet to the edge. It’s a miles ahead of wi-fi. Whereas now people thing in a meters or feet, with this new mobile internet people will be thinking in terms of kilometers and miles because that’s how far it reaches. WiMax is not wi-fi—you’re not limited to ten steps from your internet hotspot or café.

Data rates are also significantly better than the norm today. Peak data speeds will be up to 20 megabits per second; average user rates will probably fall between 2mbps and 8mbps. Current data rates stop at about 3mbps. Today, a handful of Asian countries are already using this new mobile internet standard.

America is gearing up for the transition. The benefits will be plentiful. Besides beating other wireless technologies as far as distance goes (it will have a reach of at least 30 miles) WiMax can provide users with two forms of wireless service: non line of sight and line of sight. The former operates at 2 to 11 GHz which can bend around obstacles more easily; this works using a small antenna attached to your computer. The latter, line of sight can operate at a frequency as high as 66 GHz; the signal is the stronger and more stable, which means you get better bandwidth and faster upload and download speeds. This utilizes a fixed antenna.

Thus WiMax is like wi-fi on steroids. Mobile wireless users will be able to accomplish more in a quicker time period. Issues like dropped calls, spotty signals, roaming problems, slow transfer speeds, clogged networks and the like will be things of the past. Communication will be easier and more fruitful.