14 DAY TRIAL // Finish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has announced that it will start selling mobile phones using the WiMAX Internet technology during early 2008. The WiMAX technology allows high-speed Internet from laptops, mobile phones and other portable devices over greater distances than the previous technologies.
"Nokia plans to bring its first WiMAX enabled mobile device to market in early 2008," Nokia said in a statement.
Nokia isn't the only one planning the introduction of such handsets. One of its main rivals, the US manufacturer Motorola is also intending to launch its first WiMAX mobile phone on the market next year. Companies including Intel, Nokia and Motorola already support the open-standard WiMAX as an alternative wireless broadband Internet connection on top of 3G mobile networks that can become quite slow when filled with voice callers.
Of course, WiMAX has its ups and downs. Nevertheless, it is considered to be 4G and thus the upgrade to third generation networks and it is also said to be much more affordable than 3G. According to recent reports, in the future, WiMAX might make the wireless broadband much cheaper to deliver, up to 10 times cheaper than the 3G networks available today.
While it is a good choice for Internet access, when it comes to voice calls, WiMAX is not as appropriate. The radio spectrum for WiMAX networks is also rented out at more affordable prices than the 3G mobile spectrum and equipment vendors state that the infrastructure and handsets will also come with a lower price tag. Samsung seems to also be committed to the technology and the company's mobile strategist sees this year as the year of WiMAX.