01.06.2009 — If you want find out if WiMax technology will replace the need for fiber optic networks and structured wiring, keep your eyes on Baltimore and Portland, Ore.

Those two cities are the first two big U.S. metropolitan areas with WiMax deployments from Sprint. The technology is already in Baltimore, and Sprint is expected to announce at the Consumer Electronic Show that Portland, Ore. will be the next area of deployment.

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore was selected because Sprint wanted to see how the signals would handle the thick walls of older homes, along with hills and a harbor. Plus, Baltimore is a compact city.

The article says that consumers are getting wireless 5 megabit-plus download speeds without any problem. However, that compares to hard-wired speeds of 12 megabits per second from companies like Comcast.

Sprint calls the system 4G. WiMax carries the company's cellular network in addition to its high-speed Internet service.

Chicago had previously thought it was going to be the test area for the technology, which would make sense because it's as flat as a pancake.

If you're in Baltimore, Portland or Chicago, are you being blanketed with messaging from Sprint about the service? Are your customers asking about the difference between a wireless and hard-wired network?

Let us know in a comment below.