WiMax proponents claim the ITU decision will hasten the deployment of the wireless technology.

Once technology rivals, WiMax and 3G are now on the same wireless road after the International Telecommunications Union on Oct. 19 agreed to include WiMax-derived technology in the IMT-2000 set of standards. The decision puts WiMax on equal footing with 3G as a radio interface.IMT-2000 is a global standard set by the ITU that defines the radio interfaces of advanced wireless communications systems. The decision to approve the WiMax as an IMT-2000 technology escalates opportunities for global deployment, especially within the 2.5-2.69GHz band, to deliver mobile Internet to satisfy demand in both rural and urban markets.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2203257,00.aspAlso see:WiMAX Garners U.N. Endorsement
A wireless technology called WiMAX got a key endorsement from a United Nations agency, improving the odds it will be widely deployed.The decision by the International Telecommunications Union came after a lengthy lobbying battle, which pit Intel Corp. and other WiMAX supporters against an opposing camp that included Qualcomm Inc. and Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119281823806765074.htmlWiMax approved as a global third-generation communications standard
The ITU gave the upstart technology called WiMax a vote of approval, a sizable victory for Intel and something of a defeat for competing technologies from Qualcomm and Ericsson.The International Telecommunication Union’s radio assembly agreed late Thursday to include WiMax, a wireless technology that allows Internet and other data connections across much broader areas than Wi-Fi, as part of what is called the third-generation family of mobile standards.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/10/19/business/wimax.php
http://nytimes.com/2007/10/20/technology/20wimax.html