Trend: WiMAX

Megatrend: Wireless

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless broadband network which makes it possible to deploy whole communities with a functioning wireless infrastructure.

Trend Description:
With Digital Communities, Intel has pushed the roll out of WiMAX. Goal of the initiative is to help communities around the world carry out the sometimes controversial rollouts. Other companies supporting this project are Cisco, Dell, IBM and 16 other companies, including wireless vendors such as Alvarion, security vendor Check Point and British Telecommunications. So far, 13 pilot communities (Philadelphia, Cleveland, Taipei and Corpus Christi, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Düsseldorf, Germany; Gyor, Hungary; Jerusalem; Monaco; Seoul, South Korea; Osaka, Japan; and the Westminster area of London) benefit from WiMAX. Another focus of the initiative is on applications that will help local governments save money, improve efficiency and service, and provide free or cheap access for low-income families. However, some service providers weren’t that keen on the idea of governments building wireless networks. They considered it an unfair advantage for cities and municipalities to offer paid services, because they also could use public funds and do not have to pay taxes.

Cases:
Düsseldorf:
Düsseldorf is supposed to be on WiMAX by February 2006. Right in time for the soccer world championship (WM) there will be new wireless tools and services for tourists. City tours can be downloaded on the PDAs which will be handed out by the office for transportation. Daily multimedia-updates about interesting sights and events will enhance the service. Another employment of the WiMAX-technology will enable the fire department to send data from the control center to the trucks on location and vice versa.

Taipei
About 28 square kilometers in Taipei are already blanketed with hotspots. By the beginning of 2006 the city’s entire 272 square kilometers (105 square miles) are supposed to be covered. That means people in Taipei will be able to be online anywhere and anytime. Mayor Ma’s vision is to build out in cyberspace to overcome the limitations of the city’s physical space. The initiative also includes also the “Taipei e-Campus” online university and a Lifelong Learning Center to encourage citizens to further their education through the Internet. The cyber-universities also offers classes for government employees. More than 100,000 citizens per month use these online educational tools.

Tokyo
In Tokyo, WiMAX will be rolled out on Christmas day. The company YOZAN will offer WIMAX for about 55 Euro per year, which is supposed to be a fairly cheap alternative for mobile people who do not want to be tied to a contract for a fixed line. The Yozan MetroZone will deliver high speed IP connectivity, and support voice, video and broadband data services. Users just have to plug their USB key into their PC for authentication purposes.

Trend Impact:
WiMAX will revolutionize our way of communication. Soon it will be as easy to connect to the Web as to make a mobile phone call. This will not only open a whole new market for location based services, but also enable communities and cities to work more effectively, e.g. city employees such as water meter readers or house inspectors can get instant access to information while in the field.

Links:

Intel Digital Communities

Digital Communities

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