WiMAX carrier survey shows strong interest in WiMAX for mobility services and VoIP
London, UNITED KINGDOM, August 5, 2010-Market research firm Infonetics Research (http://www.infonetics.com) today released excerpts from WiMAX Services Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, as part of its Continuous Research Service (CRS) series of WiMAX-related analyst notes and surveys.
ANALYST NOTE
“Some of the strategic findings in this report are surprising: in particular, the fact that two-thirds of the service providers we surveyed intend to use WiMAX for mobility-based services by 2012, or that over 90% expect to offer VoIP over WiMAX by then. This indicates a richer service environment for WiMAX in the future, but at the same time, our survey showed that key challenges remain; specifically, the limited range of WiMAX-enabled mobile devices, and the difficulty of building low-ARPU pricing models for developing countries. The WiMAX industry is up against the clock to address these challenges if it is to fulfill its undoubted potential as a long-term broadband technology,” notes Richard Webb, directing analyst for WiMAX, microwave, and mobile devices at Infonetics Research.
SELECT WIMAX STRATEGIES SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
Fixed/nomadic basic broadband services dominate the WiMAX market currently, but service providers plan to diversify the services they offer over WiMAX by 2012
There is continued demand for a broadband access "wireless DSL" solution in most regions worldwide
Even in developed countries, such as the US, there are portions of the geography that remain under-served and are a ripe opportunity for WiMAX
64% of service provider respondents plan to offer full mobility by 2012, up from 24% in Infonetics’ 2010 survey
Full mobility is likely to be smartphone-oriented, combining data mobility and voice, though initially USB dongles will be the device of choice for nomadic/mobile services
Availability of WiMAX-enabled mobile devices tops the list of respondents’ commercial challenges
Other top commercial challenges include marketing and positioning WiMAX services, building retail and distribution channels, providing service level agreements for enterprise customers, and defining a pricing model for a low-ARPU market
ABOUT THE SURVEY
For the WiMAX Services Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey, Infonetics surveyed purchase decision-makers at 25 WiMAX-only operators, fixed-line incumbents, competitive fixed-line providers, and mobile operators to capture a strategic overview of WiMAX operators. The survey provides a clear understanding of how and why WiMAX networks are being deployed, the rationale behind the services offered, the business model, the target markets, and the subscriber and revenue numbers operators are projecting between now and 2012.