A NEW broadband technology that promises to revolutionise mobile access to the internet is set to make its debut in Britain after the agreement of a worldwide standard, The Times has learnt.

WiMax, a wireless technology that promoters say promises faster speed and better quality internet access on the move, is being prepared for commercial use by Pipex, a British broadband company.

Pipex, run by Mike Read, formerly of BT, will announce today that it is to start consumer trials of the technology in Stratford-upon-Avon, in the next few months.

Industry sources say that it could be available to UK consumers as early as next year — making the UK one of the first countries to offer the new service on a national level.

The roll-out of the service, which Pipex is expected to offer in partnership with a big telecoms company, will threaten the mobile operators such as O2 and Vodafone who have already begun work on the “next generation” of internet access for mobile phones — 3.5G.

Phones with WiMax chips will be able to bypass the phone networks, potentially threatening their revenues.

At present business people on the move can link wirelessly to the internet through a technology called wi-fi. However the technology’s range is restricted to access points known as “hotspots”, usually placed in cafés and airports.

In contrast WiMax, which has been dubbed “wi-fi with fries”, operates over a much wider range — potentially several kilometres. WiMax should also provide faster speeds than wi-fi — up to eight megabits per second.

Pipex is one of only two official UK licence holders for a national WiMax service. The other is PCCW, a Hong Kong-based player which operates in the UK.

Though other players, including BT, are experimenting with the service, they are forced to do so through unlicensed means, or so-called “light licences”, which do not offer the same consistency of service and face potential interference. Although a new batch of WiMax-suitable spectrum is set to be auctioned by Ofcom, the regulator, it is unlikely to take place before next year.

Though WiMax has been eagerly talked about for many years, companies such as Pipex have been unable to promote the technology because an agreed standard was yet to be determined. This standard would be used by kit makers such as mobile phone and computer manufacturers.

But after the agreement on a mobile WiMax standard, giants such as Intel, which has thrown its weight behind the technology, are moving quickly to install WiMax-compatible chips into computers and mobile phones.

Other countries are also seeking to promote WiMax. Arcep, the French telecoms regulator, has received 45 applications for WiMax licences under an auction that will be concluded in October. Candidates include local authorities which have applied for regional licences. Niall Murphy, chief technology officer of The Cloud, a wi-fi player that expects to move into WiMax, said: “This is another step in the evolution of the mobile internet.”

HOW WIMAX WORKS

• A WiMax base station, similar to a mobile-phone tower, is connected to the core national network and sends out a radio signal
• The signal is picked up by a receiver, either a small box or modem or a chip built into a laptop or phone
• The base stations, which in Pipex’s technical trials have been provided by Airspan Networks, cost about £100,000 to build. However, as the technology advances costs of building a wireless network are expected to decrease
• Analysts, and even the companies pushing WiMax, admit that it is a highly complicated technology that is fraught with pitfalls — building out a network involves complicated planning and typography

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