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WiMax, worldwide interoperability for microwave access, is a wireless broadband technology based on the 802.16 radio frequency. Compared to WiFi which is primarily suited for coverage over small areas, WiMax can transfer data across 30 miles with speeds of 75 MBPS. A single base station can service around a thousand users effectively covering a whole campus or a small town. Analysts say that while WiFi was designed primarily keeping local area networks in mind, WiMax has been designed for metropolitan area networks. As WiMax can support data ranges across miles, it is well suited for a country such as India where telecom infrastructure is poor and last mile access is expensive. This ability lets ISP players offer broadband access directly to homes without worrying about the problems of installing the last mile through optic fibre or cables. WiMax is also a big boon for telecom companies as it enables these companies to serve customers in rural areas without spending billions installing expensive infrastructure for minimal returns. Unlike other wireless technologies, WiMax covers a range of frequencies from 10 GHz to 66 GHz. This ability of WiMax to support multiple frequencies means that from just one service, a service operator can deliver services such as voice, video or Internet access to multiple devices. Fixed line operators who do not have a mobile network in place can start one at a low cost and take back revenues that they have lost to their mobile rivals. While vendors are currently working on 802.16 a, there are a host of other standards that can spread the market for WiMax. For instance, the 802.16 b standard addresses quality of service, 802.16 c addresses interoperability while 802.16 e has support for mobile as well as fixed broadband. To address interoperability issues, the WiMax forum is working to facilitate the deployment of broadband wireless networks based on the 802.16 standard by ensuring that there are no compatibility issues between equipment vendors. Adherence to compliance will result in plug and play products. Today more than 150 companies are part of the WiMax forum which includes companies from every spectrum service providers, system vendors, component companies and chip manufacturers such as Alcatel, Intel and Siemens. The WiMax forum believes that the first generation of customer premise equipment would be used primarily for fixed wireless connections and future versions would be planned for putting the technology in notebook computers and cell phones.