Towerstream deploys Aperto equipment in Chicago, labels it "pre-WiMax": Towerstream has made its name offering wireless service with business digital wireline service agreements. But their press team wants to spread the word that their equipment--Aperto's in this case--is "pre-WiMax," when the standard hasn't been set nor have certification standards been developed.
It's worthwhile to note that IEEE 802.16a, the spec on which WiMax will be based, is not identical to WiMax: WiMax will be a certification standard and might include elements that aren't strictly part of 802.16a. In a parallel example, WPA certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance, their interim flavor of 802.11i, requires a client to create a successful EAP-TLS authentication. EAP-TLS isn't part of 802.11i, but to certify that a WPA works correctly, the Wi-Fi Alliance had to require that test. The same could be true of WiMax. Fully 802.16a-compliant devices might not automatically be WiMax certifiable, although all vendors in the WiMax group will work towards this as quickly as possible when certification is set.
There is no doubt that companies selling "pre-WiMax" equipment today will have to bring their equipment into compliance if they're really pushing that terminology to customers--or potentially face litigation. One firm, Airspan, has stated in writing that equipment they sell now is not pre-WiMax, but for at least one customer, they have committed in writing to swapping in WiMax equipment when it's actually available.
It's clear that many of the companies involved in the WiMax development want to set hype lower, and reject using WiMax in any way until the standard is further along. The last stage of 802.11g's standardization should be recalled: while the standard recovered, the shipping silicon from Dec. 2002 to June 2003 was not up to snuff in interoperability, backwards compatibility, and occasionally basic reliability. [via TechDirt, which has a different take on the topic]