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WiMAX (News - Alert) holds definite advantages over competitive wireless technologies such as LTE that make its providers front-runners for federal broadband stimulus funding, an official with a Morrisville, N.C.-based provider of end-to-end solutions for mobility and fixed network applications told TMCnet in a recent podcast.

 

According to Gary Croke, who works in product marketing at Harris Stratex Networks (News - Alert), one major advantage of WiMAX is that it’s a wireless access technology that’s cheaper and faster to deploy than fixed access solutions such as fiber, cable or DSL.

 

“I think given stimulus push and the tight timeframe to roll out some of these solutions, I think we’re going to see a lot more wireless than we think here in the (United States), in terms of access,” Croke said.

 

Croke’s company, through services offered on a dedicated Web site, has been helping service providers with grant applications through to end-to-end broadband network design, deployment and support.

 

The economic stimulus package signed into law earlier this year ear-marked $7.2 billion in grant and loan funding for broadband initiatives for rural, unserved, and underserved geographies. Applications were due last month. With a delay announced this week – a delay that’s frustrating lawmakers – broadband stimulus grant and loan awards have been pushed back to December.

 

During the interview with TMCnet, Croke also discussed issues associated with spectrum, the role that broadband stimulus funding can play in smart grid deployments and WiMAX versus LTE (News - Alert).

 

According to Croke, since WiMAX operates in the licensed band, it can provide assurances of clear spectrum, unlike some of the other wireless access solutions, such as WiFi (News - Alert).

 

“And then finally it’s really a mobility solution, so WiMAX, being able to offer fixed-mobile access in a single solution, really helps meet the explosion in demand for mobile applications which I think is really critical,” Croke said.

 

Listen to the entire podcast here.