A commercial network launched in Amsterdam is the first in Europe to use a mobile version of the WiMAX standard to allow users to surf the Web at high speeds while on the move, operator Worldmax said.
An internetnews report quoted the Dutch firm as saying that the broadband wireless network is aimed at competing with telecom operators KPN, Vodafone and T-Mobile.
It is similar to using a mobile phone network and differs from networks using earlier WiMax technology, which required users to be stationary.
The network initially covers just the city center of Amsterdam, but Worldmax said it plans to extend it across the country in coming years.
The company is a potential threat to mobile operators increasingly looking to data usage to drive growth as revenue from voice calls levels off or falls.
The total cost of building the nationwide network will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Worldmax, whose investors include Intel, and Greenfield Capital, would not reveal financial or subscriber targets.