Hi All, FYI - I noticed that the N810WE is now on the Canadian TigerDirect site - ready for pre-order at $500 CAD. One would then assume you could use this device in Canada, but the more logical portion of my brain tells me to dream on. Supposedly available at the end of August.
I had the opportunity to play with an Inukshuk modem for a bit last year.
The network definitely didn't support mobility (802.16e)
My particular testing was putting it in my car, ethernet to a Slug running Linux. I just made a simple UDP app to send updates to a server every couple seconds. I wanted to see how it behaved in a mobile environment.
The result was that the modem had no issues moving between towers... you just get a new IP every time you switch (which means TCP apps would die every switch, but some UDP apps could keep going)
For something like GPS location updates, it would work fine. Connect an 802.11 AP to the modem in the car, and you'd have wifi wherever you have wimax... For most apps, you'd want to use it when the car was stationary, though :-)
The, rather obvious, failure of this analogy here is that WiMAX really doesn't have a competing standard.
3G (HDSPA) is the competitor, and it is kicking WiMAX's @ss right now. Like VHS, it is technically inferior (WiMAX is more like 3.5G-4G), but is still winning anyway because most of the big carriers are pushing it. Most companies are looking at WiMAX and saying, WiBOTHER when we have 3G? (and we can sell it for EXTORTIONARY rates)
3G cellular phone systems usually benefit from already having entrenched infrastructure, being upgraded from earlier systems. Users can usually fall back to older systems when they move out of range of upgraded equipment, often relatively seamlessly.
The major cellular standards are being evolved to so-called 4G, high bandwidth, low latency, all-IP networks with voice services built on top. With GSM/UMTS, the move to 4G is the 3GPP Long Term Evolution effort. For AMPS/TIA derived standards such as CDMA2000, a replacement called Ultra Mobile Broadband is under development. In both cases, existing air interfaces are being discarded, in favour of OFDMA for the downlink and a variety of OFDM based techniques for the uplink, much akin to WiMAX.
In some areas of the world the wide availability of UMTS and a general desire for standardization has meant spectrum has not been allocated for WiMAX: in July 2005, the EU-wide frequency allocation for WiMAX was blocked.
Be sure that the WiMax in Canada is on 2.5 GHz, which is what the N810 WiMax Ed. expects. Some countries use other frequencies, like 3.5 GHz in Russia and Slovakia.
HS*PA is usually owned by current(/big/monopolist) telcos whereas WiMAX is not. Because I don't like these telcos I have a bias towards WiMAX, but if I am realistic current 3G provide a very good coverage (in my country at the very least).
Nation-wide WiMAX frequencies are still sold in EU. It isn't necessarily good if there is a EU-wide frequency sold.
In my country a provider is not allowed to get both a WiMAX and a HS*PA (normal 3G) license. This does open the market for new WiMAX providers, but they must deploy quick or they'll have a hard struggle because of LTE. LTE is faster, and LTE is backwards compatible with current 3G.
If you can get WiMAX coverage in your area I'd say consider a subscription, and compare it with current 3G. Don't write either one off right away. Heck, perhaps WiFi hotspots are sufficient for your needs.
