WiFi/WiMAX Integrations

By distributing high-speed Internet access from cable, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and other fixed broadband connections within wireless hotspots, WiFi has dramatically increased productivity and convenience. Today, WiFi delivers high-speed Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) connectivity to millions of offices, homes and public locations, such as hotels, cafés and airports. Worldwide, more than 223 million homes have WiFi connections, and there are over 127 million WiFi hotspots. The integration of WiFi into notebooks has accelerated the adoption of WiFi to the point where it is nearly a default feature in notebooks. Over 97% of laptops ship with WiFi integrated, and an increasing number of handhelds and Consumer Electronics (CE) devices are adding WiFi capabilities. WiMAX takes wireless Internet access to the next level, and over time, could achieve similar attach rates to devices as WiFi. WiMAX can deliver Internet access miles from the nearest WiFi hotspot and blanket large areas — Wide Area Networks (WANs), be they metropolitan, suburban, or rural — with multi-megabit per second mobile broadband Internet access. Although the wide area Internet connectivity offered by 2.5 and 3G cellular data services has been mobile, these services do not provide the broadband speeds to which users have become accustomed and that WiMAX can deliver.

In the last few years, WiMAX has established its relevance as an alternative to wired DSL and cable, providing a competitive broadband service offering that can be rapidly and cost effectively deployed. Now, Mobile WiMAX, as defined in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16e-2005 standard, adds broadband connectivity on the move. Mobile WiMAX, based on scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology, is capable of simultaneously supporting fixed, portable and mobile usage models. With scalable OFDMA, operators no longer need to choose between fixed or mobile services. Together, WiMAX and WiFi are ideal partners for service providers to deliver convenient, affordable mobile broadband Internet services in more places. Both are open IEEE wireless standards built from the ground up for Internet Protocol (IP)-based applications and services. By combining WiMAX and WiFi access, service providers can deliver high-speed Internet connectivity that subscribers desire in more places. And WiMAX and WiFi technology synergies enable seamless integration into laptops, CE devices, and a new category of devices called "mobile Internet devices."

Barking Snail Technologies is licensed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is deploying networks currently in the state of Florida.

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