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Study Says Wider Options May Spur WiMAX Use |
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Written by Leon D. Zetekoff, NCE
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Tuesday, 31 May 2005 |
From WirelessIQ:
Conventional wisdom says that until the advent of 802.16e mobile WiMAX
systems — still some time in the future — the wireless broadband
standard will be more or less confined to the great outdoors. Some
"near-outdoor" systems involving window-mounted receivers may be
feasible, but for practical purposes WiMAX is considered an outdoor
last-mile replacement technology.
However, ABI Research analysts say that there are optional
specifications built into the 802.16 standard which can boost the
sensitivity of receiving equipment to the extent of making WiMAX PC
cards and built-in receivers a practical proposition for laptops, PDAs
and other portable devices. Generally these optional specifications
have not been implemented by the largest vendors of WiMAX equipment.
However at least two smaller companies — TeleCIS and Sequans — have
been designing their chipsets to implement these under-utilized options
in the standard.
According to senior analyst Philip Solis, what this means is that
"There may be WiMAX PC cards on the market earlier than many observers
have expected. These will result from superior chipsets permitting the
use of WiMAX in laptops and similar devices in homes and offices within
the reach of fixed WiMAX transmissions. You will not have full mobility
as you will with 802.16e, but you will have some portability."
ABI Research's recent study, WiMAX/802.16: Opportunities for High
Speed Wireless Data in Enterprise, SOHO, Residential and Portable
(802.16e) Markets, examines the drivers for, and barriers to, WiMAX.
Companies involved with WiMAX, and some companies that will consciously
avoid WiMAX, are profiled, and the study includes forecasts for
subscribers, equipment, revenues and more.
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research
maintains global operations supporting annual research programs,
intelligence services and market reports in automotive, wireless,
semiconductors, broadband, and energy. |
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