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Yankee Group States Standards are Imperative in Making WiMAX a RealityBOSTON --(Business Wire)-- Yankee Group today revealed 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 the Yankee Group DecisionNote(SM), When Will WiMAX Become a Reality?, published recently, 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 -- Device development and applications: More devices and applications will be developed to utilize WiMAX mobile access. -- Established markets: Wireline operators will want to wait for the full spectrum of capabilities before investing in WiMAX, which means that "e" is the best fit. (802.16e) challenge -- Defining customer segments and targeting them: It is crucial for vendors to clarify just who this technology will truly benefit and why the service providers will want to invest in the technology. NOTE TO EDITORS For interviews contact: -- Tara Howard, Yankee Group analyst, 617-880-0399, [email protected] -- Christina Oh, Yankee Group public relations, 617-880-0238, [email protected] YANKEE GROUP (www.yankeegroup.com) The people of Yankee Group are the global connectivity experts(TM)--the leading source of insight and counsel for builders, operators and users of connectivity solutions. For more than 35 years, Yankee Group has conducted primary research that charts the pace of technology change and its effect on networks, consumers and enterprises. Headquartered in Boston, Yankee Group has a global presence including operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. |
