Two Japanese companies have won licenses that should see WiMAX take firmer hold in the world, Reuters reports. Government officials have granted licenses to a group led by KDDI, Japan's second-largest cellular provider, and Willcom, a company controlled by the US-based Carlyle Group. KDDI is partnering with Intel and phone maker Kyocera, and plans to use WiMAX to launch a new broadband service in 2009; Willcom will follow suit with a similar service in the same timeframe. KDDI notes though that its venture will be expensive, costing as much as $1.3 billion by the end of 2013.

While WiMAX is often marketed simply as a 4G data technology for cellphones, it may eventually come to replace Wi-Fi for some people. Despite not always being as fast, WiMAX can be used anywhere within cellular range, including high-speed vehicles. Its deployment is still extremely rare, however: America's Sprint recently began one of the first commercial WiMAX networks, Xohm, but even this is currently limited to the cities of Baltimore, Chicago and Washington DC.