WiMAX gains traction but needs VoIP
20 April 2005
News
WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) is becoming a force in the wireless access arena, at least in parts of the world. By 2008, worldwide sales for WiMAX equipment will be billions of dollars, but over half of it will be for Customer Premise Equipment, according to a recent In-Stat report.
This new form of broadband wireless access helps shift the economics of broadband to make it cheaper than ever to deploy. However, WiMAX providers will need to bundle wireless broadband services with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), so that consumers will save money every month, even though they are upgrading from dial-up Internet access to broadband, says In-Stat.
Although the technology has not been considered a serious prospect to enter the mainstream in the US, outside of North America, Western Europe, and parts of Asia, the perception of broadband wireless access (BWA) is very different. In those areas, BWA is often the only choice for connectivity, and this connectivity is not just for data services. In many parts of the world the main benefit of BWA comes from providing voice service.
Another area where WiMAX is expected to do well is as a way to provide point-to-point (PtP) links. A prime example would be with cellular BTSs that are currently using a leased line to provide a backhaul to the network.
www.in-stat.com
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