October 05, 2007
ABI: Mobile Broadband Enabled CE Devices to Grow in 2008
By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor
What do you get when you combine mobile broadband capabilities with everyday consumer electronics? An emerging class of new devices that will quickly grab hold of the market for the numerous benefits they offer.
According to the latest study from ABI Research (News - Alert), "Mobile Broadband-Enabled Consumer Electronics," consumer electronics will increasingly include Wi-Fi
for connectivity within the home and to the Internet.
for connectivity within the home and to the Internet.The report looks to the market for mobile broadband-enabled consumer electronics from 2007 to 2012, examining "strengths and weaknesses of each air-interface, to uncover which will dominate at the beginning and end of the period."
By making consumer electronics portable and WiFi (News - Alert)-enabled, service providers can offer services for the devices as well as handsets and laptops.
A lot of companies have already taken the leap into the emerging class of new devices and offer solutions like Samsung's HSDPA-enabled camera from SK Telecom and Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are also pushing connectivity for a wide range of WiMAX (News - Alert)-enabled consumer electronics devices.
"The market for cellular-enabled consumer electronics devices will gather momentum in 2008 and 2009 with Qualcomm's (News - Alert) Snapdragon platform. As mobile WiMAX networks increase their coverage, more WiMAX-only devices will be sold. And between WiMAX network deployments and devices using Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform or Freescale's MXC platform, the 2008-to-2009 time period will be critical for the development of this market," Phil Solis, principal analyst for ABI Research commented.
networks increase their coverage, more WiMAX-only devices will be sold. And between WiMAX network deployments and devices using Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform or Freescale's MXC platform, the 2008-to-2009 time period will be critical for the development of this market," Phil Solis, principal analyst for ABI Research commented.Solis also noted that with Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform it will be possible to greatly reduce the cost of incorporating cellular connectivity in consumer electronics devices as it "bundles wide-area connectivity with short-range wireless technologies and a multimedia processor."
And while manufacturers may find it cost-prohibitive, the benefits will "outweigh the costs." The challenge is getting vendors to relay those benefits to the consumer, Solis also noted.
Stefania Viscusi is an established writer and avid reader. To see more of her articles, please visit Stefania Viscusi’s columnist page.
