Even as WiFi takes off, the standards committees are busy creating the next generation – 802.16a and 802.20. Writes Forbes (via Lycos Finance):
[802.16a], dubbed Wider-Fi, extends the wireless range of Wi-Fi from roughly 300 feet to several miles and lets signals bounce around obstacles and penetrate walls; it also fixes security flaws and adds high-quality phone calls.
802.20 [is] a kind of Mobile-Fi that promises speedy links in cars and trains traveling at speeds that can exceed 120 miles an hour.
“The ultimate vision is wireless broadband everywhere,” enthuses Sriram Viswanathan, who oversees wireless investments at Intel’s venture capital arm. “It could potentially be the biggest thing since the Internet itself.”
