10Mbps WiMax for Rhine region

Germany is the latest country to jump on the WiMax bandwagon, with a collaboration between Nortel and regional utility firm NEW Energie.

The pair have completed a trial in the Rhine-Westphalia region, in the west of Germany, and are now preparing for a commercial launch of the service targeted at SMEs and consumers.

According to Nortel, the WiMax rollout will promise speeds of 10Mbps for users – a dramatic increase on the 500Kbps seen by one WiMax trial.

The service is expected to launch in the second quarter of this year, with users connecting using a 'small indoor modem', Nortel said.

While the German network will concentrate on supplying rural areas, recent WiMax deployments have been set up in more built-up areas. This week has already seen a new venture between Intel and Pipex to create a WiMax provider for urban areas in the UK, while Samsung revealed it will be supplying kit for a trial of WiBro, the Korean equivalent of WiMax, in South Korea's capital, Seoul.