Yankee Group reports that standardized mobile WiMAX will not become a reality until early 2008. WiMAX has become a commonplace discussion, and while there is significant attention surrounding the technology, greater attention is focused on when WiMAX will truly emerge and which WiMAX standard will work. As a result, service providers and other customers' re-directed focus on the reality of WiMAX has lead to increased frustration of potential WiMAX adoption.
"While the WiMAX standards process has led to much frustration in the industry, the standard is essential to the market success for the technology," said Tara Howard, Yankee Group, Broadband Access Technologies analyst. "Standards are critical for ensuring vendor interoperability and certifying devices. Therefore, it is also important to educate service providers and potential customers on the actual timeline for standardized products to help avoid a burnout."
According to Yankee Group, it must be understood that while standardized mobile WiMAX will not reach marketplace status until at least a year from now, proprietary broadband wireless - both fixed/stationary and mobile - already exists in the marketplace, and we are starting to see deployments of fixed/stationary WiMAX. True mobile WiMAX is waiting on WiMAX Forum's seal of approval to make it a reality.
Some of the opportunities and challenges for mobile (802.16e) WiMAX include the following.
(802.16e) opportunities
(802.16e) challenge
Posted to the site on 16th October 2006
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/19871.php