Posted: 13th Jun, 2008 By: MarkJ
The latest research from In-Stat has predicted that future
WiMAX broadband wireless services will threaten established fixed and mobile broadband providers, though we've yet to see much practical evidence for this.
Based on survey data collected by In-Stat,
WiMAX should provide the right mix of features and pricing to appeal to consumers. Business users on the other hand will prove more of a challenge to
WiMAX operators, primarily based on the business users need for ubiquitous coverage:
While early WiMAX network coverage will not be as large as 3G cellular, it will be adequate to appeal to consumers, says Daryl Schoolar, In-Stat analyst.
When respondents were presented with service examples and picked the one they most preferred, the one representing WiMAX was picked more than two-to-one over the one representing 3G cellular data. Service descriptions include information on coverage, network performance, pricing, and usage limitations.
Were of the growing belief that, unless a raft of UK mobile operators decide to adopt
WiMAX, it is likely to remain a niche technology in our local market.