We've seen more attention paid to WiMax over the past few months, and with industry biggies like Intel, Motorola, and Clearwire clearly attempting to put their stamps on the marketplace, it looks like a clear alternative to WiFi is on the way.

In areas such as Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, WiMax is the focus of quite a bit of development and deployment. Clearwire has made WiMax available in parts of Oregon and Washington, as well as various other markets around the country. If all proves well, we will certainly see a wide-spread offering of service, and we also will see other vendors getting into the mix.

While the development of both fixed and mobile versions of the WiMax spec still need some tweaking, the fact of the matter is that 2007 should shape up to be a very good year for the technology.

As we close out the year and gear up for the new one, here is our last Top 5 list for 2006. Enjoy and Happy New Year to our faithful Wireless Report readers!

1. Do you still use a pager?
   Remember numeric and alphanumeric pagers? Those devices that one were as ubiquitous as wireless phones are now have become relics of an age where one-way communication was better than nothing.
2. Negotiations to finalize SF WiFi contract going down to the wire
   It looks like it'll go right down to the wire in the race to wrap up negotiations between the city of San Francisco and Google and EarthLink to shore up the contract to begin developing and deploying a citywide wireless network.
3. Will the Apple 'iPhone' change the wireless biz?
   Although the rumors around a possible Apple wireless handset have been in the mill for years now, the fervor has taken on a new fever pitch with so many "confirmed" rumors swirling about on what Apple CEO Steve Jobs may unveil at a January event for the Apple community.
4. WiMax, Italian style
   The Italian government says it will be opening up spectrum to allow room for WiMax and will offer licenses for space in the band in 2007.
5. Do you want kid-tracking wireless phones?
   Tracking features built into most newer wireless handsets -- mostly used for e-911 services using GPS -- are finding newer and better ways into many newer wireless handsets these days.

The Italian government says it will be opening up spectrum to allow room for WiMax and will offer licenses for space in the band in 2007.

WiMax hasn't gotten much traction in the European market as of yet, and this looks like a fairly significant step in the technology's quest to gain a foothold on the continent. According to the Italian government, the sale of licenses is not expected to bring in more than a few hundred million euros, but whoever gets those licenses will have a clear advantage moving forward.

It will be interesting to see if the big WiMax supporters like Intel will swoop in and attempt to corner the market early on in the process.

We're taking a bit of a break to be with our loved ones over the holiday, and we hope you are too. A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, and we'd like to pass along a heartfelt "Thank You" for your readership. We'll be back posting again tomorrow once we can burn off some of the egg nog!