Well, I'm not going to WiMAX World but it looks like it might be good. Anybody planning to be there?

WiMAX World was absolutely packed full of operators looking to fill DSL holes and find new ways of reaching areas with no wired infrastructure. Surprised at the general tone of your piece, Guy. As you know, WiMAX is an evolution of Broadband Wireless Access. It's not something that merits any kind of 'hey wow look at this new technology let's give it a bash' attitude. The fact that operators are already rolling out networks based on Alvarion's WiMAX-ready platform speaks volumes, doesn't it?

It speaks volumes about 802.16d yes! But most of the FUD which Intel has been spreading has related to mobile WiMAX. That's 802.16e which is neither available, nor even standardised, nor even yet agreed inside the Forum.

And (as was pointed out at that crucial Merryl conference) much of the technology suggested for mobile WiMAX is based on Star Trek technobabble, not physics.

I think WiMAX will be used to fill in connectivity backhaul, especially with developments like tethered aerostats and permanent airborne transponders; but for the mobile user, that's dependant on the development of mobile versions. I'm still unconvinced by that, I'm afraid.

And until Intel stops talking about 2.4 GHz WiMAX, I can't take it seriously. Around where I live, you can't even get 802.11g WiFi to connect reliably; too many channels occupied by households with wireless.