It seems that in today's world, if you are not wireless, then you are back in the dark ages, at least in terms of being technologically savvy or trendy. There are an increasing number of options for enjoying wireless mobile network access, or WiFi as it is often called. WiMax is a fairly new option for high-speed internet access via wireless networks that has emerged among the many wireless trends of the day.

WiMax is a shortcut for the official name of this standard-based, wireless networking technology, which is otherwise known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. This broadband connection standard provides for very high throughput of data packets of longer distances than previous systems allowed. It is becoming widely used in "last mile" broadband network connections, hotspot connectivity, cellular backhaul applications, and high-speed enterprise broadband connectivity for organizations.

The main utilization of WiMax is in the public sector and is used for providing internet access through Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), which allow people to enjoy connection speeds that are as high as 75 Mb/second. The signals that come from these networking systems can also extend to distances of as much as 30 miles away from the base of the system.

This differs significantly from the WiFi signals, which are best suited for coverage of areas much smaller than that provided by a WiMax system. With WiFi wireless systems, a single base unit is generally adequate for smaller areas, such as a small town or a college campus and tops out at a capacity to service about 1,000 users. WiFi wireless networks were designed primarily to provide service to these more limited local networks, while WiMax has been designed to handle the needs of larger metropolitan areas.

Because the WiMax networking solutions are able to support reliable data transfer across a range of miles, it is also a very good solution that can be used in countries, such as India, where there is not a good infrastructure of telecom in place, making the "last mile" internet access quite expensive. This also means that ISPs are able to provide their customers with broadband WiFi access directly to homes in such areas without any concern for the difficulties involved in installing the last mile connection via cable or fiber optics.

Another huge benefit of the capabilities of WiMax is in what it means to rural residents in the US who have long been at a disadvantage for high-speed broadband service. It also means that it could be a boon for the telecommunications companies because it would enable them to provide the desired WiFi connection for their customer base in rural areas, without the need to spend billions and billions of dollars to run cables to create the infrastructure for such a service. Essentially, this provides the means to leapfrog right past such expensive capital expenditures.

WiMax has been referred to as a WiFi wireless service on steroids. It brings to the market the potential for millions more people around the globe to be able to enjoy wireless mobile internet access. Once these mega wireless connections are in place, the world will be connected in a whole new way from what is currently unavailable to so many.