If you’d like to connect to the Internet with the same ease and convenience with which you pick up a cell phone signal, then you’re ready for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Let’s just call it WiMAX.

Similar to a WiFi hotspot, a WiMAX transmitter creates an area for users to connect wirelessly to the Internet. The difference is that the transmitter sits on a tower like a cell tower and covers an area of almost 3,000 miles. Also, similar to the cell network, the tower can connect with other towers so coverage can expand into areas where wires can’t reach.

The signal WiMAX uses is strongest and most reliable when it’s line-of-sight, but it still works extremely well when it’s not. A home user might set up a receiver that’s placed for line-of sight reception to connect to a home network, but still be able to connect on the road with a mobile receiver or a receiver built into a laptop or smart phone.

Many companies are already offering this service and, with the creation of whole networks of WiMAX towers, WiMAX promises to be the future of the Internet. The result is that, no matter where you are, the Internet is with you.