Aperto Networks, of Milpitas, which is developing WiMAX technology to sell to telecom carriers, has raised $26 million in a fifth round of funding, bringing the company's total backing to $120 million. That's a lot of dough for a technology -- WiMax -- which some note hasn't even been tested in a real environment yet. WiMAX is similar to WiFi but can carry signals across greater distances. WiMax is also being considered by Silicon Valley public transportation officials (free registration) who want to let passengers browse the Internet on local train systems like BART. They want to run a test from July to December. WiMAX, they believe, might be a better technology to do hand-offs as the train rushes through various wireless coverage zones.

The recent and separate proposal by a coalition of local business and government leaders to create a Silicon Valley-wide WiFi network is worth mentioning here. The network would be for use by public-safety workers and would be integrated with the networks already in place in several cities. The coalition, led by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, will release a request for proposals. More information here. While San Francisco appears to be signing up with Google and Earthlink to build a city-wide wireless network, and with MetroFi already operating in several cities in the South Bay, perhaps it won't take long for private operators to launch Silicon Valley-wide coverage anyway.

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