Abstract
Overview
There are many signs of a renewed interest in Broadband Wireless Access
technologies: the much-discussed Sprint Nextel decision to select mobile WiMAX
for its 2.5 GHz network, carriers taking a careful look at the advanced Korean
market, and the huge sums reached at recent spectrum auctions.
Broadband wireless access technologies indeed stand to benefit from many factors:
- Broadband is going mass market
- Consumers are increasingly mobile
- Mobile telephony leads the telecommunications market
- Data services represent an increasing share of total mobile ARPU
- Growing network capacity needs and the debate over net neutrality are
giving alternative access technologies a boost
- Laptop computer sales are rising, while PDAs and mobile handsets are
evolving towards smarter and more powerful devices integrating PC-like
functionalities
This report focuses on the debate over the place in the equation of fixed and
mobile WiMAX, traditional 3G technologies and their offspring UMTS TDD,
FLASH-OFDM and iBurst. Alternative BWA technologies are evolving quickly. The
biggest change in the BWA industry is undoubtedly the WiMAX ecosystem's shift
towards a new mobile standard. Alternative broadband wireless technologies
have now been tested in actual conditions in many commercial deployments.
Equipment availability for each standard or proprietary solution is also
essential, as it drives adoption by operators and end users. Spectrum
availability and quality is another critical issue, and often the chief
constraint that players have to contend with. It impacts coverage, quality of
services and deployment costs. Emergent wireless technologies, able to provide
broadband data rates and support mobility, can be seen as complementary
solutions as well as potential threats to both mobile and fixed networks
operators. It is nonetheless our view that BWA networks that provide a
complement to fixed or cellular networks make a stronger business case.
Key questions
- What are the latest technological developments?
- What are the barriers and drivers for each technology?
- What will be the impact on services and equipment?
- What are the current BWA/WiMAX offers?
- Which strategies should operators and manufacturers adopt?
- What is the growth outlook for access technologies?
- What are the spectrum issues in each country?
- Complementarity vs. competition?
Who should read this report?
- Manufacturers
- Knowledge of the timeline for BWA technology deployments
- Take account of the timeline for service rollouts
- Fixed and mobile telecom operators and ISPs
- Assessing the opportunities that BWA technologies represent, and the
issues involved in new frequency band allocations
- For mobile operators: measuring the actual threats posed by BWA
technologies
- Regulators
- Identifying the types of service that will be offered
- Validating the frequency bands that will actually be used
- Investors and analysts
- Evaluating the potential of BWA technologies and their relevant markets
- Identifying the most dynamic key players(operators and suppliers)
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