The 4G Buzz

First it was the articles in The Feature and elsewhere that India would skip 3G altogether and go directly to "4G" "...even though no clear 4G standard or format has yet emerged" as writer Carlo Longino points out.

Now VNU Net reporter Steve Ranger reports that "... 4G - will be a combination of 3G and WiMax technologies..." and attributes this claim to Forrester analyst Bernt Østergaard. Speaking at Forrester's GigaWorld conference in Barcelona,

He predicted that 4G will offer access at Ethernet speeds (such as 10Mbps) and integrated wireless local and wide area networking (Wan) by combining 3G and WiMax in a single handset.

Elsewhere, ZDNet UK's Graeme Wearden reported that WiMax will be key to BT's 21st Century Network project Graeme reports that BT "is already testing 802.16d in four rural locations across Britain." But WiMax won't be limited to rural areas.

In an interview with BT's Matt Beal, director of the 21st Century Network project, Wearden reports that "Beal said that WiMax wouldn't just be used to fill these rural gaps, but could also have a role in metropolitan areas." Beal "declined to elaborate further" but one might guess that Beal would be very unpopular with BT's ADSL division if he started predicting the end of the line for that technology in press interviews.

Showing that the buzz machine is just getting started, Mobile Mesh Networking reports that a Fourth Generation Mobile Forum has been created. There is a "kick-off" meeting planned for Shanghai October 11-13. This conference seems to have been organized by The Delson Group which also organizes the World Wireless Conference -- the 6th of which will be in San Francisco on May 24-27, 2005.

Good thing we didn't waste any time here in the US on 3G.