The largest wireline and wireless operator in the US, AT&T, says it is considering using WiMAX technology to expand broadband coverage in rural areas. The firm inherited a number of 2.3GHz licences in southern states when it acquired BellSouth in December 2006 and has already conducted a number of trials of the technology. AT&T’s chief technical officer John Donovan told USA Today that WiMAX is a more cost-effective method of reaching outlying areas than traditional wired networks. While it is keen to employ WiMAX itself, AT&T recently spoke out against the national WiMAX deployment which is being planned by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, saying the proposed tie-up should be subject to greater regulatory scrutiny.

Source:telegeography