How does wireless broadband at cable modem speeds sound?

Third Screen: Sprint WiMaxes out – Aug. 24, 2006

Will WiMax help? Sprint says its new network could reach 100 million people in the United States by the end of 2008. WiMax connections could reach speeds of 2 to 4 megabits per second, similar to a cable-modem Internet connection. Unlike cable-modem connections, WiMax networks would cover big areas, like cell-phone networks do today, allowing Internet usage on the go.And WiMax can do the job at a fraction of the cost of upgrading Sprint’s current network to similar speeds, according to Raghu Rau, a senior vice president at Motorola (Charts), which will be supplying Sprint with WiMax networking equipment.

WiMax’s big advantage, says Rau, is “spectral efficiency.” What he means by that is that WiMax can pack more data into a given amount of radio spectrum, a scarce resource carriers have paid billions of dollars to acquire.

Rau also says that WiMax networks will support “multiple applications on multiple devices” – in other words, it won’t just let you make voice calls on your cell phone; it will also let you hook your laptop up to the Net and download songs on your MP3 player, and that’s just for starters.

That’s a lot of could’s in there so we’ll take it with a grain of salt, still, would probably be a leapfrog over the Verizon EVDO network, which works, but is inferior to a wifi hotspot if you can get to one.  (or afford the daypass).  Keep your eye on Sprint.

Also check the Cringely article here.