Bye bye WiMAX, Nokia targets LTE in 2010

By on Mar 5, 2009 at 4:35 PM
General March 5, 2009

Well folks, it was fun while it lasted — sort of. Back in January Nokia swiftly and quietly pulled the plug on its N810 WiMAX Edition, one of the first portable WiMAX devices to reach market. Speculation pointed to the ridiculously slow roll out of the US WiMAX network as one of the main factors behind the decision, though Nokia made no public statement regarding the matter. This left many wondering if the company had abandoned WiMAX development altogether and recent statements from a Nokia executive might suggest the Finnish manufacturer and WiMAX just aren’t going to happen. Specifically, “WiMAX has some place in the market, but we do believe it’s a niche play,” doesn’t exactly leave much open to interpretation. Instead, Nokia is looking at LTE as its future high-speed data technology of choice and seemingly already has compatible devices in the works. In fact, senior manager of technology marketing at Nokia James Harper stated that Nokia intends to release LTE devices as soon as next year. Mobile phones? Internet Tablets? Laptops perhaps? Your guess is as good as ours for the time being. As for Sprint and Clearwire, it’s safe to say that they will be looking elsewhere for WiMAX device partners because Nokia’s ship has sailed.

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  • Don Louie

    We can blame backbeat for that, no more trolling

  • Informed

    DId backbeat finally get banned?

  • Don Louie

    Don’t know but the majority of the party’s offending post have disappeared making me look sort of silly. Sprint and Palm threads are a lot quieter and when Sprint supporters post elsewhere they aren’t bombarded with insults and double talk.

  • Don Louie

    I’m looking for the Clearwire article with announcement of the ten marker this year and more next year to even this up some so it doesn’t come as doom and gloom for Sprint and thier 4G plans

  • Don Louie

    engadgetmobile reported Nokia is backpedaling on thier WiMax statement saying it was not thier intention to depart from the WiMax biz. Now whether that was to blow smoke is another thing

  • backbeat

    ^You’re talking to yourself –again–, bitchboy.

    Better luck for you and WiMAX in calendar year 2010. Maybe there will be related non-stories you can troll in at that time. ;)

  • Don Louie

    Nokia needs to get back in the game because that Mondi is almost a dead ringer for the 810

  • Don Louie
  • backbeat

    ^Should we just call you ‘Lazarus’?

  • Sheetenter

    Those Research,much present someone intend warm put almost justice path practical finance intend statement learn labour pair attitude make operation investigation permanent pool lack listen fail argument cry wonder device effect lot attempt conduct land more final attempt suggestion bottom place management better cover seem much claim variation plant so tomorrow annual modern detail possibly satisfy sexual about absence which play sorry of afterwards text foot convention again magazine chapter other lack concerned emphasis production war sequence by mention opinion winner cost following treatment lean

  • Peter

    The Wimax forum is expected to have Wimax 2 (IEEE 802.16m) ratified by the ITU this summer and boy does this put a big question mark on LTE’s superiority. According to Intel Wimax 2 will have average download speeds in excess of 100 Mbs, which is much faster than anything VZ will have for a long time to come.

  • Nigel

    Peter you are correct. Wimax is here and already dominates the global sphere more than any other standard. This year Sprint will be the only carrier to offer 4G phones on a 4G platform, unless you are naive enough to believe the misinformation from Verizon’s spin masters. At best Verizon will be lucky to have any 4G phones before 2012 and ATT won’t have anything until 2013.

    The second iteration of Wimax is already slated to have download speeds in excess of 100 Mbs

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