Intel sees 2012 deployment for mobile WiMax Release 2

WiMax is competing with mobile phone-based wireless standards such as HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) and LTE (long term evolution) for wireless data services. WiMax is currently at a disadvantage because networks are just now being rolled out in many places and do not yet cover a significant part of the globe, unlike mobile phone networks, which cover much of the world's population.

In Taiwan, for example, WiMax wireless service provider Vmax Telecom covers Taipei, but its network does not extend outside the capital city. Meantime, Chunghwa Telecom, the island's largest mobile phone service provider, offers HSPA throughout Taiwan. WiMax promises download and upload speeds significantly faster than those on a mobile phone network in the future, but the mobile phone industry is also hard at work boosting performance to maintain its edge.