Sep 29, 2008 03:00 PM
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For all the talk that Sprint's freshly launched Xohm WiMax would be the openest internets ever and can totally replace your ISP, when it comes to bandwidth-sucking apps, that's not the case. It'll neuter file-sharing applications, or anything else—like VoIP—that uses a lot of bandwidth.
To ensure a high-quality experience for its entire subscriber base, XOHM may use various tools and techniques designed to limit the bandwidth available for certain bandwidth intensive applications or protocols, such as file sharing.
AT&T has a similar provision on its 3G network, using the (legitimate) argument to keep the FCC off its ass that it's wireless and it simply couldn't handle the traffic.
However, WiMax is promising to be something else entirely—a third pipe (i.e., an alternative to DSL or cable from the big boys), and an open one at that. True, it's right out the gate, barely meeting its promised September launch, but not being able to actually use all that bandwidth it's touting doesn't make it very compelling, to say the least. [Xohm via Silicon Alley Insider]
Send an email to matt buchanan, the author of this post, at matt@gizmodo.com.
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