Combo WiMax/LTE Chips Arrive In 2009Though another research firm hints WiMax may be niche player...
04:53PM Wednesday Nov 05 2008 by Karl Bodetags: business · wireless · alternativesABI Research says that combination Mobile WiMax and LTE chipsets will
start hitting the market in 2009. Supporting both formats is the safe way for many device manufacturers to move forward, saving money from having to develop fewer SKUs. Uncertainty stems from the fact that while WiMax has the early lead now, LTE is expected to dominate down the road. Interestingly, ABI seems to think that WiMax will be used for "developing nations" while LTE will be the flavor of choice in more industrlialized nations:
Some mobile operators are showing interest in dual-mode chipsets," says ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis, "and they are backing it with cash. Vodafone, for example, has a foot in both WiMAX and LTE camps. They will use LTE in industrialized regions, and WiMAX in developing nations. In Japan, KDDI may deploy LTE on its own, but as an investor (along with Intel and others) in WiMAX operator UQ Communications, KDDI has an interest in both standards.
Neither Sprint or Baltimore probably appreciate that remark, but there does seem to be a growing concern (granted, much of it coming from the LTE industry) that WiMax will be minor league when it's all said and done. LTE has massive support from carriers like AT&T, who'll only be using WiMax as a
rural DSL replacement. Late last month, one research firm predicted WiMax would be little more than "
niche mobile technology." All eyes are now on Sprint after half a decade of marketing hype by WiMax's primary supporter, Intel.
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