According to Reuters, "Just as Intel helped popularize Wi-Fi, a short-range technology now widely used in airports and in coffee shops, the world's largest chip maker hopes to usher in the "WiMAX era" -- using the technology to displace cable and DSL Internet access and segments of the cellular phone market. Yet as it heads into turf fiercely protected by the telecommunications and cable industries, WiMAX is likely to gain little traction, at least for several years, analysts said. The demand it does find may come mainly from rural markets outside the United States."

"WiMAX enthusiasts sometimes claim that it will 'kill' Wi-Fi. Nothing could be further than the truth," a note from ABI said. High power consumption makes WiMAX an unlikely choice for battery-powered devices like laptop computers and personal organizers. The best potential for WiMAX, according to iSuppli, may lie in precisely the area least promoted by companies like Intel -- in combined voice, video and data networks that are at best several years away from being developed. Cellular phone makers have invested more than $100 billion to roll out third-generation cellular networks, which can handle data at speeds suitable for games and video. By the time fourth-generation networks roll out, WiMAX could be the preferred choice." Source: Reuters through Yahoo