Imagine watching cable while silently receiving a broadband Internet connection or using VoIP applications as your pager works—all from the same pipe. While much of wireless is blasting out a signal heard next door or down the street, a small Florida company thinks it could quietly compete with UWB, Bluetooth—even WiMax.

xMax, a 900MHz wireless technology using less than 1 Watt of power, is touting itself as a low-powered alternative to traditional fixed wireless for delivering a myriad of broadband services, according to xG Technology of Sarasota, Florida. What makes xMax unique is its sharing of crowded radio spectrum, such as the frequencies used by cable television or Wi-Fi.

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While only in its initial stages now, a finished xMax product should be in the hands of wireless equipment manufacturers by mid-2006, says Chris Whitely, xG program manager.

Rather than an FM radio station broadcasting only radio programs or cable providers only broadcasting television, xMax would take advantage of the unused portion of the signal to also transmit data. This recycling or repurposing of spectrum is key to the new technology, according to its inventor, Joseph Bobier.

"xMax's unique signal profile is a perfect fit for low frequency channels that have previously been unsuitable for wireless broadband," said Bobier.

Because the sub-gigahertz spectrum has been chopped into multiple narrowband segments, it largely has been ignored by most wireless companies seeking roomier space for broadband transmissions. xMax separates the data and a signal synchronizing receiver and sender into two narrowband channels. Due to the low power level needed, the signals do not interfere with other spectrum users, says Whitely.

In order to pick up the very weak signal, a filter must be added to an off-the-shelf antenna, allowing the broadband data to be "heard."

Performance of xMax, BPSK, GMSK and BFSK