| Do you remember when home wireless | | | | Typical download speeds are in the range of 400 |
| networking burst into our lives? Suddenly we | | | | - 700 kilo bytes per second (kbps). |
| could work from any where in the house. Have | | | | That is slightly faster than many cable companies |
| you ever wanted to do the same when you are | | | | allow for their cable modems. It is much faster |
| out on the road? | | | | than DSL connectivity. |
| With WiMax, now you can! | | | | Astonishingly, this technology is capable of speed |
| WiMax is a wireless network access program that | | | | bursts of up to 2 megabytes per second (mbps)! |
| offers its subscribers citywide high-speed | | | | How can you integrate WiMax into your current |
| broadband access to the internet. You can be up | | | | business? How about setting up a wireless mobile |
| to 31 miles from an antenna and still get online. | | | | office that is always connected to your home |
| Although, the further you are from the antenna | | | | office? |
| the slower your connection. | | | | Start with getting a good laptop computer and |
| Here is how it works. | | | | add as much memory as it will hold. Purchase |
| A broadband provider sets up several cells to | | | | your WiMax wireless network card to get access |
| support a certain geographical area. While the | | | | to the broadband system. |
| theoretical range of WiMax is 31 miles, most cells | | | | Now, think about accessories. Will you need a |
| will only support an area from three to 10 miles. | | | | portable printer to print presentations and |
| Within this range, special cards based on the | | | | contracts for your customers? |
| 802.16 wireless standards will allow mobile devices | | | | What about telephone service? Do you want to |
| to surf the internet at high speed. | | | | transfer your office phone to your cell? It could |
| This cell system is similar to how digital cell phones | | | | eat up your minutes, costing you extra money. |
| work now. | | | | Have you thought about Voice-over-Internet |
| Where this technology really shines is for mobile | | | | Protocol or VoIP? Another name for VoIP is |
| business computing. Imagine you are a busy sales | | | | Internet Phone. |
| executive. You just finished a presentation to a | | | | You could setup your office phone with a VoIP |
| major client. | | | | provider and take the module to the field with |
| The presentation went well, but they asked for | | | | you. All it needs is an active internet connection to |
| some revisions. Normally, you would have to rush | | | | work. |
| back to the office and have the revisions made. | | | | Another option is to use your VoIP with a |
| With WiMax, you could connect via your VPN. Mail | | | | software phone program. This way you could use |
| the changes to your office, which would make | | | | your laptop as a telephone. |
| the revisions and send them back. All in a matter | | | | There you have it, a complete mobile office. How |
| of minutes. | | | | great would it be to make plans with your clients |
| Can you imagine the level of perceived customer | | | | in real time? Could your competitors even try to |
| service your clients will have? You just told them | | | | compete with you at this level? |
| that they are important, so important you | | | | Most likely, they could not! |
| dropped everything to handle their requests. | | | | In short, wireless broadband access may be the |
| In just minutes you emailed the changes to your | | | | best key to increasing your competitiveness. |
| boss, she reviewed and approved them and | | | | The freedom to engage customers, on their turf, |
| emailed the updated paperwork directly to you. | | | | while maintaining connectivity to your office will |
| Another three minutes to print them out on your | | | | allow you to respond to rapidly changing situations. |
| portable printer and get the clients to sign! | | | | Can you think of a better way to impress your |
| Contract closed! | | | | clients than by being able respond immediately to |
| How could they not be impressed! | | | | their needs? |