* Wireless broadband users worldwide to grow 40% annually between now and 2010
Observers are fixing their sights on fixed wireless as the greater opportunity for WiMAX penetration.
According to Visant Strategies, the traditional fixed wireless markets will drive WiMAX through 2009 because the mobile WiMAX community is faced with political, technical and competitive challenges that impact time to market – a key consideration given the IEEE 802.16e specification is not yet finished.
The market for mobile WiMAX is two to four years away, Visant states.
Certified mobile WiMAX equipment will arrive during or after 2007, and mobile carriers typically test new technologies from 12 to 18 months before implementing them throughout the network.
Also, FLASH-OFDM and other technologies, such as TD-CDMA and future revisions of 3GPP and 3GPP2, already have considerable technical and time-to-market advantages over mobile WiMAX, according to Visant.
However, WiMAX will still become a factor in the mobile market in the years to come since most operators will not commit to additional major upgrades prior to 2009, the firm predicts – roughly the timeframe for arrival and testing of certified mobile WiMAX gear.
Meanwhile, the overall market for fixed and portable broadband wireless equipment will be $3.4 billion in 2010, and WiMAX will account for half of that, with much activity in the 3.5 GHz band, Visant says. The number of wireless broadband users worldwide will grow 40% annually between now and 2010, to 27 million, according to the firm.
