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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute? 

Open your laptop in New York city, and chances are you'll find a Wi-Fi hotspot to surf on. Not so in tiny Lone¹ Pine California, wedged between Death Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Houses are spread out, not stacked, and Wi-Fi sure ain't a long distance champ. That's why a lot of cities are abandoning their ambitious plans for universal wireless² coverage³, explains wireless consultant⁴ Robert Morrow in a recent issue of Science. Morrow writes that Wi-Fi will probably stick around in offices, but he says a different wireless technology called WiMAX, developed about 4 years ago, could become the new standard for larger areas with scattered⁵ users. WiMAX avoids airwave interference by operating in licensed⁶ frequencies. And being licensed means WiMAX stations can pump up transmitting power, expanding their range to a kilometer or more, that's 20 times the range of a WiFi station. So an entire city could be covered by a score of WiMAX base stations. And if tons of users swamp a WiMAX station, it can redirect them to an uncrowded neighbor. So it looks like no matter how lost in the woods you get, you'll still be able to check your email.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I am Christopher Intagliata.