WiMAX 2 Collaborative Initiative eyes the second half of the year

Some consumers already might've gotten their fill of WiMAX here in the US, but on a global scale, the US is still in the early stages of rolling out the next generation data network. With Sprint's HTC EVO 4G gearing up to be released this summer to an eagerly awaiting audience, for many, it'll be the first tasting of what to expect with next generation devices. Although we're all looking forward to it, the WiMAX 2 Collaboration Initiative is in full swing as many supporters like Motorola, Samsung, Beceem, ZTE, and Intel have come together to hasten then development of WiMAX 2. Hoping to finalize an air interface standard definition by the second part of the year, the group is intent on accelerating the implementation of interoperable system profiles for WiMAX 2 – based on the IEEE 802.16m standard, peak download rates for WiMAX 2 are expected to hover around 300 Mbps; double the theoretical speeds of WiMAX. Now the great thing about it all is the fact that it won't require the infrastructure to be built from the ground up again – instead, it'll be backwards compatible  with the current WiMAX networks.

source: PR Newswire