Imagine a wireless hotspot the size of Philadelphia or a rural community in the American heartland. U.S. cities and companies are eyeing an emerging technology known as WiMax as a way to make high-speed wireless Internet services available in areas much larger that a typical Wi-Fi coffee bar or the local McDonald’s. But it may prove difficult to make such services commercially viable, analysts say.

WiMax—touted as a potential spoiler for cable modems and other traditional Internet connections—was developed to beam the Internet across cities using radio networks with much wider ranges than Wi-Fi, a system used on laptops in coffee shops. Some broadband operators are considering WiMax as a way to expand their networks, and city administrators are looking to offer broadband services cheaply in public places such as parks or in low-income housing areas.

Source: Neowin.net