Sprint Teams with Clearwire on WiMax; 'WiFi on Steroids' Promises Mobile Net Lifestyle

Beginning of article

Byline: Kara Rowland, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sprint Nextel Corp. says its decision to merge its WiMax high-speed Internet unit with Clearwire Corp. will herald a new era in the wireless business - one in which consumers build their lifestyles around the mobile Internet.

So what is WiMax?

"WiFi on steroids," said Julie Ask, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research.

WiMax works similarly to WiFi service but it's faster and, with more bandwidth, can accommodate more users. It can also travel farther: A WiFi hot spot is generally in the range of about 100 feet; WiMax can stretch up to 30 miles, blanketing an entire city.

…