Listen closely, you can hear the death rattle for wired internet everywhere. WiMax, a new long-range wireless technology, will blanket cities and regions with wireless broadband Internet access when Sprint and Clearwire light up the first networks later this year. You’ll pick up the signal at home with a modem like the Motorola CPEi 300; laptop adapters and WiMax-equipped cellphones will connect you on the go, even in speeding cars.

WiMax is more than just Wi-Fi on streroids. Wi-Fi uses unlicensed radio spectrum and must run low-power signals so that networks don’t drown each other out. In contrast, Sprint and Clearwire own the parts of the 2.5-gigahertz spectrum that they will use for WiMax, so they can beam out stronger signals that span longer distances with no worries about interference.

As more coverage and gear rolls out, one WiMax account could get you online from several devices, anywhere in the country, not hot-spots or wires required.

If you’d like to learn more about WiMax technology, or what to expect in the future - I recommend the book “Fundamentals of WiMax” by Jeffrey G. Andrews.

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