CTIA Wireless: World’s first Dual-mode WiMax networking adapter coming to the U.S.

Networking specialist C-Motech introduced the world’s first dual mode WiMax/EVDO USB dongle during the CTIA Wireless in San Francisco this week. The so-called CMU-300 fully supports the IEEE 802.16e-2005 WiMax standard as well as EVDO Rev A or HSDPA wireless networks.

According to company representatives at CTIA, the Korea-based hardware company has signed a major distribution deal with a top U.S. mobile phone carrier which will introduce the dual-mode USB networking adapter in the U.S. Market this November. A slightly modified version of the WiMax Dual-Mode adapter is already available in Korea.

The U.S. product announcement raises the overall question; how far has the WiMax network been extended? WiMax, a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL; has been much-ballyhooed about over the years, but has not taken off yet in industrialized countries.

Same goes for the U.S., where WiMax networks are far from being broadly available yet. However, U.S., carriers, mobile phone companies, such as, Nokia and other networking specialists are beta testing WiMax networks in a number of metropolitan areas, including Chicago. The technology is also being tested internationally, especially in Latin America and Asia. Currently, Pakistan has the largest fully functional WiMax network, provided by Wateen Telecom and Motorola.

A number of U.S. cellular companies are evaluating WiMax since 2003 as a means for increasing bandwidth for a variety of data-intensive applications. In 2006, U.S. carriers announced plans of investing US$5 billion in WiMax technology buildouts over the next few years.

The C-Motech announcement at CTIA can now assert that WiMax deployment has got some significant momentum in the U.S. and that the technology could be ready for the mass-market soon.