Last year, among blistering hype, we noted that Wimax wireless broadband really wouldn't become a significant broadband player until at least 2009. Lo and behold, one year later and carriers are stating that the technology is neither cheap or easy to deploy. Consumer end gear currently costs $500-$600, and carrier end terminals cost between $2,500-$5,000. The gear isn't expected to get cheap until 2007 (assuming there's spectrum), and even then - while fixed Wimax seems like a solid bet, nobody seems sure if the mobile variety will take off.