Comments on: Our Readers Take on the LTE v. WiMAX Debate

By: 2 Years of Chips, Broadband and You! – GigaOM

2 Years of Chips, Broadband and You! – GigaOM — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:04:18 +0000

[...] balance, and how technology has affected me and my loved ones. You guys have given me advice and deepened my knowledge on all of these topics while still welcoming my [...]

By: The Clear Dilemma

The Clear Dilemma — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:15:03 +0000

[...] can debate the propagation qualities of the WiMAX spectrum, but for the average person choosing a mobile broadband provider, the services and the devices will [...]

By: CMT Blog » LTE, estrella del MWC

CMT Blog » LTE, estrella del MWC — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:41:49 +0000

[...] protagonismo del LTE hace pensar a los editores de GigaOM, que éste será el estándar de la futura generación de móviles, ganando así la partida a Wimax [...]

By: Philip Solis

Philip Solis — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:26:56 +0000

Just to clarify some of the comments I saw:

WiMAX is a 4G standard (OFDMA) – it’s not a 3G standard (CDMA). Just because WiMAX and LTE will not initially be IMT-Advanced-compliant does not mean they are not fourth generation mobile wireless air interfaces.

Yes, WiMAX has to have two radios (WiMAX and CDMA (1x and EV-DO)) to be able to also work on Sprint’s network. It is the same situation for LTE. An LTE chip only works on an LTE network. If you have an EDGE/HSPA/LTE chip, then it will work on those networks (2G/3G/4G) . . . and those are 3 radios. Integration on the chipset side will help bring the costs down, not matter which technologies are involved.

By: State of WiMAX: Will Huawei Win It All?

State of WiMAX: Will Huawei Win It All? — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:00:54 +0000

[...] for the $1 billion WiMAX network being built by BSNL, the state-owned Indian telecom company. With Nortel and Alcatel-Lucent (a ALU) having retreated from the WiMAX market, one wonders: Who is going to win [...]

By: nP

nP — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:39:00 +0000

I Think you have to look at the CDMA vs GSM history to see where WiMAX is headed. Yes, maybe it has a few merits and “firsts” on the wiMAX side, but you need to consider the following –

1) Scale — Sprint/ClearWire seem to be the only operators out there doing anything substantial. That doesnt seem like enough scale as far as costs of equipment/subscribers go for any “big” players to attack this market

2) Interoperability with older networks — WiMAX *needs* to work with 1x/CDMA on Sprint since its going to be a while before we can have a truly national WiMAX network. That will surely drive up the equipment costs since you will have two radios inside the device!!

3) Cost/Business Model issues — WiMAX is trying to put publise itself as different from cellular and risks as being looked as a “bigger” WiFi for consumers. Consumers are accustomed to “free” wi-fi so it will be a tough sell for carriers to charge for WiMAX. In addition, new WiFI standard work will likely have a cannibalization effect on WiMAX as it supports mobility, higher speeds…

4) Just yesterday, Om pointed out, most big carriers are already satisfied with HSPA+ roll outs etc for the next few years to meet consumer demands so it doesnt look like there will be enough demand for a service like WiMAX specially since it will be at best patchy.

By: LTE, estrella del MWC | CMT Blog

LTE, estrella del MWC | CMT Blog — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:39:00 +0000

[...] protagonismo del LTE hace pensar a los editores de GigaOM, que éste será el estándar de la futura generación de móviles, ganando así la partida a Wimax [...]

By: LTE, estrella del MWC « Blog CMT

LTE, estrella del MWC « Blog CMT — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:18:54 +0000

[...] protagonismo del LTE hace pensar a los editores de GigaOM, que éste será el estándar de la futura generación de móviles, ganando así la partida a Wimax [...]

By: Will WiMax get a boost from broadband infrastructure spending? » VentureBeat

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:05:41 +0000

[...] For more insight into the relative strengths of LTE and WiMax, see the discussion on GigaOm. You’ll see that this race is far from over, and that LTE has its own challenges. Tags: [...]

By: Jesse Kopelman

Jesse Kopelman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:22:35 +0000

@Greg

The reason WiFi does not belong in this discussion is because this is about what will be the dominant 4G technology for carriers (with a US-only focus). Given the topology of the US and the paucity of competition, WiFi is not going to cut it. It’s a great solution for urban areas, but try deploying it in the sub-100 people/sqmi regions where 50% of your potential customers live. Having to deploy 1,000,000 base-stations to get nationwide coverage is not going to cut it from an operations standpoint. Could WiFi be used to complement 4G in high user density scenarios? Definitely and it should. However, carriers have thus far been loath to stray much from a cookie-cutter, one tool for all jobs, approach to network deployment.