Broadband wireless goes head-to-head with 3G

“According to a newly published report from Analysys Research, if WiMax wide area wireless networking can address “potential showstoppers” it will succeed in blurring the boundaries between existing mobile and fixed broadband wireless systems.” There’s nothing new here, in fact wireless broadband has been seen as a competitor to 3G almost since before the technologies were defined. However the analyst does give some indication as to reasons why the competition may not occur…
“Early trials generally show a poor return compared to mainstream mobile operator voice and messaging services,” said report co-author Dr Alastair Brydon. “Either services appear expensive to customers, which will mean adoption will remain low, or they are pitched in direct competition with fixed broadband services, when they deliver only around one per cent of the revenue per megabyte of traditional cellular services.”

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