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Mobile WiMAX Market Forecasts
to 2012 - With comparisons to LTE or 4G
Other topics: WiMAX Digital Display,
WiMAX Spectrum Signal Processing,
Germany WiMAX Deployment
PRLog.Org
May 01, 2007
Mobile wimax equipment which utilize beam-forming and MIMO technologies
will become available towards the end of this year.
Broadband wireless deployments using pre-802.16e compliant equipment
have already begun. In Korea both KT and SK Telecom have implemented
mobile broadband wireless networks in specific locations throughout the
country. |
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Sprint/Nextel are
deploying an 802.16e compliant mobile wimax network which will reach 100
million Americans by the end of 2008. BT will bid for 2.5GHz RF spectrum
in the Ofcom auctions which will take place towards the end of the year
2007. Gaining such spectrum will allow the incumbent to deploy an
efficient wimax service and compete with companies such as Vodafone for
triple play services. Cable companies are gradually acquiring spectrum
and are looking at distributing their content to mobile devices.
Greenfield operators are expected to utilize mobile wimax technology in
order to secure a 3G/4G market position by attracting consumers with an
early new level of service. Clearwire is such a carrier with operations
in the United States, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland and in Mexico (via
MVSnet).
Equipment manufacturers are becoming increasingly active in mobile wimax.
Vendors such as Samsung, Nortel Networks, Alcatel and Nokia-Siemens
Networks are all involved in 802.16e projects globally. Motorola have
just announced a major deal in Pakistan. Companies that have been
heavily involved in operator proprietary broadband wireless
implementations such as Alvarion and Proxim are also developing 802.16e
compliant platforms. Various chipset providers such as Wavesat, Runcom
Technologies and Beceem Communications are developing OFDMA chips and
are testing their products for interoperability with solutions from
other vendors. Dual mode handsets will be very popular with mobile wimax
deployments with GSM/OFDMA and CDMA/OFDMA handsets dominating the
market.
But there is confusion. Ericsson believe that by the year 2010 mobile
wimax will account for only 5-10% of global broadband wireless revenues
and are therefore more focused on broadband cellular technologies. Who
is right? Availability of 2.5GHz spectrum is crucial to the success of
mobile wimax particularly throughout the western world. In Europe HSPA
is dominating the cellular market and this combined with the current
unavailability of 2.5GHz spectrum throughout most of the continent is
leading to little interest from mobile operators. In the U.S a lot of
the 2.5GHz spectrum is owned by Sprint. The carrier will start its
deployment by using 10MHz channels to deliver services and could use
even larger bandwidths in the future.
Throughout the developed parts of the world technologies such as 3GPP
LTE and HSPA are expected to make a huge impact. HSPA operators will
begin upgrading to LTE in 2009/2010 with subscribers exceeding 250
million by the year 2015. However as Vodafone's Arun Sarin points out,
LTE is still being deliberate by GSM standards bodies, while WiMAX is
available NOW.
This report not only discusses mobile wimax but also technologies beyond
3.5G (HSDPA and EV-DO Rev A) such as 3GPP LTE and Ultra Mobile
Broadband. Developments in the core network as networks move towards
fixed mobile convergence and the IMS are analyzed. The market
opportunities of fixed and mobile wimax technologies for each
geographical region are looked at in detail. The impact of LTE and UMB
on markets is also included in this report. |
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