Valleywide WiFi would keep area on cutting edge, but project faces hurdles

Mike Langberg, as he highlights why Wireless Silicon Valley and Metro Connect have the best shots of succeeding in metro Wi-Fi, cites the nation's cell phone companies -- especially Cingular, Verizon Wireless and Sprint -- as aggressive competitors selling their own wireless data networks. "Today, those networks aren't as fast as WiFi and are more expensive, although they do offer coverage inside buildings where WiFi often doesn't reach. A new generation of cell networks, no more than a year or two away, could close the gap. There are also well-funded companies planning nationwide high-speed wireless networks using new technologies such as WiMax." It sounds as if he believes WiMAX isn't connected to either Wi-Fi or cellular data plans.