Milton Keynes gets WiMAX

Milton Keynes, (in)famous for its concrete cows, has been revealed as the first UK town to get a taste of WiMAX wireless broadband.

UK wireless broadband licensee, Pipex, which is presently trialling the technology in the 3.6GHz spectrum band in Stratford-upon-Avon, said last week it is on track to roll out commercial services in 2007. Some Milton Keynes residents are expected to be hooked up to WiMAX by year-end.

Although the town is relatively new, constructed in the 70’s, ADSL broadband is not widely available. In keeping with the town developer’s penchant for concrete and aluminium, the local telecoms infrastructure is also made of aluminium rather than copper.

London, naturally, was the first city to get WiMAX connectivity, with a number of companies offering services around the capital since earlier this year.