Is WiMAX Really The Next Great (Wireless) Thing?

Feb. 7, 2008
Wireless broadband services will dominate mobile communications markets in the years to come. The "science-fiction" element of video telephones from years past is quickly becoming a reality, and now customers not only want the service, but also want the ...

Wireless broadband services will dominate mobile communications markets in the years to come. The "science-fiction" element of video telephones from years past is quickly becoming a reality, and now customers not only want the service, but also want the highest-quality images and voice service. Delivering such services requires bandwidth and sophisticated modulation schemes, and WiMAX has both.

There are no shortages in the number or projections for the future of WiMAX. Research firms such as Maravedis (www.maravedis-bwa.com), for example, point to gaudy numbers in support of market expectations for WiMAX (see the story on their CEO below). At the same time, developers of Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems also feel that they have the technology to support a myriad of broadband wireless services.

Most likely, both approaches, LTE and WiMAX, will flourish, since communications markets have shown a propensity for supporting multiple standards. Maravedis reports 3 billion mobile subscribers worldwide at the end of 2007, with 4 billion expected by 2011. For that many customers, several broadband wireless solutions may be needed.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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