XOHM WiMAX enabled iPhones and iPods in 2008?

Thu, 08/16/2007 - 1:54am — Seth Weintraub

XOHM-iphone-ipod

With the formalization today of the XOHM Service, Sprint is releasing what could be the most exciting thing to hit the Internet in quite awhile. If real-world results are anything close to the specs that we've been drooling over for the past few years, WiMAX technology will revolutionalize mobile communications. Initial speeds will be about four times the speed of EVDO/HSDPA and will eventually scale up to the type of speed at which you will be able to stream High Definition movies and video conferencing.

Just as a reference point, the German WiMAX operator Deutsche Breitband Dienste (DBD) has two tariff plans. The first costing $12.99 per month offering 1 Mbit/s connection speed and 1 GB monthly traffic. The second plan has unlimited traffic, the speed increased to 2 Mbit/s for a $25.99 monthly fee. Not too shabby!

Where does Apple fit into all of this?
Apple is an innovator, a first mover. This service would be perfect for their whole line of products from Airport Extreme base stations, MacBooks, iPods, AppleTV's and of course iPhones. Don't forget that while PC laptop makers have been selling machines with EVDO and HSDPA wireless broadband built-in for years, Apple has only allowed this type of connection through third party PC/Express cards or tethering (which doesn't always work so well). Why the wait?

Also, don't forget that Apple's new bff, Intel, is a huge part of the WiMAX (WiMacs? - called it!) push and will be the biggest supplier of chips for the platform over the next few years. Intel didn't seem too miffed a few months ago that the iPhone was running a Samsung ARM chip, and mentioned that they were working with Apple on future wireless devices and with other companies on ultra mobile platform for Unix and Linux devices. Intel plans to include WiMAX chips as packages in the same way it currently packages wifi adapters with its Centrino chips.

Also, WiMAX is being rolled out in Germany and Japan, two of Apple's bigger markets, with active trials underway and early 2008 mass rollouts planned. Clearwire, T-Mobile and many others also plan rollouts in the US and abroad and could also be prospective partners with Apple on this decidedly amazing technology.

AT&T to the curb?
But, what about AT&T and Apple's five year relationship? The details haven't been formally released, but it is likely that the AT&T-Apple exclusivity deal is only in voice communications, not data. We already know that new phoneless iPhone's are being released soon and that Skype and other VOIP clients are in the works for the iPhone with or without Apple's blessings. If the 6G iPod can do wireless data and run a Skype client on WiMAX, can AT&T complain?

We also know Steve Jobs likes to have choices (ask IBM's PowerPC group) and that locking Apple into a seemingly eternal five-year relationship with AT&T could be suicide if the behemoth doesn't keep up with technology - something monolithic monopolies are famous for. Would Apple do this? Likely not.

How will it go down?
Apple is likely testing this technology right now with its current product line. Apple likes to be the first to announce new technologies so there will probably be a huge announcement at MacWorld 2008 or perhaps even earlier. Sprint plans to cover 100 million people by the end of 2008. That is too many people who will have access to superior wireless technology for Apple to ignore.

( Filed Under:

)

Comments

German WiMAX operator does not offer flatrate for 25.99USD

Thu, 08/16/2007 - 2:15pm — Mustafa K. Isik (not verified)

Just read the offering of Deutsche Breitband Dienste (DBD) at their product website.

I hate to say this, but they _do not_ offer flatrates for WiMAX internet access.

Well Tell Wikipedia that

Thu, 08/16/2007 - 3:51pm — admin

Developments

The Japanese company NTT DoCoMo has been testing a 4G communication system prototype with 4x4 MIMO called VSF-OFCDM at 100 Mbit/s while moving, and 1 Gbit/s while stationary. NTT DoCoMo recently reached 5 Gbit/s with 12x12 MIMO while moving at 10 km/h,[7] and is planning on releasing the first commercial network in 2010.

An Irish fixed and wireless broadband company, Digiweb has announced that they have received a mobile communications license from the Irish Telecoms regulator, ComReg. This service will be issued the mobile code 088 in Ireland and will be used for the provision of 4G Mobile communications.[8] [9]

Pervasive networks are an amorphous and presently entirely hypothetical concept where the user can be simultaneously connected to several wireless access technologies and can seamlessly move between them (See handover, IEEE 802.21). These access technologies can be Wi-Fi, UMTS, EDGE, or any other future access technology. Included in this concept is also smart-radio (also known as cognitive radio technology) to efficiently manage spectrum use and transmission power as well as the use of mesh routing protocols to create a pervasive network.

Sprint plans to launch 4G services in trial markets by the end of 2007 with plans to deploy a network that reaches as many as 100 million people in 2008....

The German WiMAX operator Deutsche Breitband Dienste (DBD) has launched WiMAX services in Magdeburg and Dessau. The s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G

Subscribers are offered two tariff plans. The first costing $12.99 per month offering 1 Mbit/s connection speed and 1 GB monthly traffic. The second plan has unlimited traffic, the speed increased to 2 Mbit/s for a $25.99 monthly fee. The subscribers are also charged $90.99 for the equipment and installation.[10] DBD received additional national licenses for WiMAX in December 2006 and have already launched the services in Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden.

American WiMAX services provider Clearwire made its debut on Nasdaq in New York on March 8, 2007. The IPO was underwritten by Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan. Clearwire sold 24 million shares at a price of $25 per share. This adds $600 million in cash to Clearwire, and gives the company a market valuation of just over $3.9 billion.[11]

What's your point?

Fri, 08/17/2007 - 6:08pm — Mustafa K. Isik (not verified)

Wikipedia is neither right on everything all the time, nor is it absolutely accurate on all details in every article.

That said, even the Wikipedia entry just mentions the offering for two German towns.

Don't you think that sounds more like a pilot project.

And why did you copy so much of the article? Does that prove something?

yes.

Sat, 08/18/2007 - 12:17am — admin

There are citations. The German pilot program is correct and backed up. As it states in the story, it is "used for reference"

I may be that HSDPA has

Sun, 08/19/2007 - 11:46pm — mac dude (not verified)

I may be that HSDPA has better real-world speeds. Outback Australia with early HSDPA devices gave 2Mbit at cell edge. Now 7.2Mbit devices are commonplace, 200km range extension cells (with 2Mbit real-world speed at cell edge), 5Mbit real-world throughput on 7.2Mbit devices. HSDPA looks like what wimax once promised but here now!

Realworld Latency, and handoffs

Mon, 08/20/2007 - 12:08am — admin

Latency is a much bigger issue with 3G technology and handoffs as well. HAndoffs are a big issue with WiMAX but since each tower covers a 50 mile diameter, it happens less often.

XOHM WiMAX enabled iPhones and iPods in 2008 ?

Wed, 08/22/2007 - 5:32pm — macmanager (not verified)

I would be interested in chipset size and its energy consumption as these factors were a big reason for Apple
to choose edge technology for the iphone.

revolutionalize?

Fri, 02/22/2008 - 7:05am — Anonymous Coward (not verified)

revolutionalize?

Following the success of

Fri, 02/29/2008 - 12:03pm — best voip service (not verified)

Following the success of iPods, Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007. The announcement was preceded by rumors and speculations that circulated for several months.

The term "search engine

Thu, 03/06/2008 - 4:36am — Anonymous Coward (not verified)

The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe web site designs,menus, contentmanagement systems and shopping carts that are easy to optimize.

Off-page factors such as

Thu, 03/06/2008 - 4:37am — seo services (not verified)

Off-page factors such as PageRank and hyperlink analysis were considered, as well as on-page factors, to enable Google to avoid the kind of manipulation seen in search engines that only considered on-page factors for their rankings.

services

Mon, 04/21/2008 - 6:31am — mold removal (not verified)

For a variety of reasons, ranging from its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has engendered a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry.

what about roaming

Tue, 04/29/2008 - 12:24pm — international cell phone (not verified)

I think this will not make the exorbitant cell phone rates when roaming go away, but who knows.

Wow - its terrific, how fast

Fri, 05/02/2008 - 8:35am — 9to5Mac Noob (not verified)

Wow - its terrific, how fast the net connection develops. i can imagine, that we got 1gbit/s in 10 years on our cellphones. mr paruresis from central europe

reply

Sun, 05/25/2008 - 1:53am — search engine optimization firm (not verified)

WiMax pushes off more radiation than anything short of a micro wave. It just another usless technology pushed towards a sheep population to get rid off some and the others will be to dumb to see what is coming next.

Nice!

Tue, 05/27/2008 - 4:30pm — Reverse Mergers Information (not verified)

I'm excited to see how this plays out... WiMax on cells would be awesome, and it is going to take mobile communication to the next level. I'm interested in how this may affect battery life, because it's already bad enough as it is. I'm amazed that there isn't a more efficient technology for battery power already.

very cool

Thu, 06/05/2008 - 11:21am — Belmont Stakes Picks (not verified)

This would be really cool if WiMax was available on some of these mobile devices... WiMax is such a new technology, and has to be implemented on a mass scale first. I don't see the Phones having this capability for at least another year, but things move very fast so I could be all wrong.

ervasive networks are an

Thu, 06/19/2008 - 7:49am — 9to5Mac Noob (not verified)

ervasive networks are an amorphous and presently entirely hypothetical concept where the user can be simultaneously connected to several wireless access technologies and can seamlessly move between them (See handover, IEEE 802.21).

clitoral vibrators

double ended dildo