BALTIMORE, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. telecommunications provider Sprint says it has gone live with its first WiMax mobile broadband network in Baltimore.
WiMax allows users of personal computers to remain connected to the Internet wirelessly at high speeds throughout an entire city, rather than just at isolated wireless "hot spots," such as libraries and coffee shops. Sprint and its partner Clearwire Inc. of Seattle say the technology will revolutionize Internet connectivity, USA Today reported Monday.
In Baltimore, the companies tested their WiMax network, saying it is capable of speeds far exceeding those of conventional Internet access providers such as cable television or telephone companies, the newspaper said.
"We're on the cusp of giving people a brand new Internet experience" by offering true mobile broadband, Ben Wolff, chief executive officer of Clearwire, told USA Today. "WiMax is the next generation of the Internet."
But analysts wondered to USA Today whether WiMax provides enough of a difference to draw consumers from their present Internet providers. Sprint will also face competition from AT&T and Verizon, which are working on their own high-speed wireless Internet access projects.
