Milton Keynes looks set to be the next UK city to benefit from WiMax technology, with plans to start deploying a test network next month.
Just last week, trials to showcase the benefits of the technology in Stratford-upon-Avon were deemed fruitful and will now start to involve users and local authorities.
Following on from this success, Milton Keynes plans to launch a trial before the end of the year to take advantage of WiMax, the brainchild of Pipex Wireless and Intel.
Pipex confirmed its activity in the city but wouldn't be drawn on any additional detail until next month.
"It's early days to be talking about the Milton Keynes WiMax trial," said Graham Currier, business development director at Pipex Wireless.
"We are engaged in radio and operations planning and hope to be able to provide more detail in September as we commence network deployment. We can provide more feedback once the trial is launched later in the year."
The Stratford-upon-Avon trials make use of indoor and outdoor antennae to test the technology's worth in addition Intel Rosedale chipsets, which are optimised for WiMax transmissions. Currier said that the early signs of WiMax's potential had been very encouraging.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Steven Jewell head of IT at Milton Keynes council, said that the city would roll out the technology in phases.
"Milton Keynes will be probably the first place for a major proving roll-out of WiMax in the UK," he said.
Milton Keynes is no stranger to how technology can help local citizens and businesses. In January 2004, the council embarked on a 12-year, 200 million public private partnership with business process outsourcing (BPO) specialist HBS, more than 10 per cent of which is targeted for IT development.
