
Mobile WiMAX will claim almost 2 million subscribers by the end of the year, according to ABI Research, as the technology begins to get legs — wobbly little legs, but legs nonetheless — in the U.S. as well as a handful of other markets including Russia and Malaysia. Meanwhile, LTE is inching closer to reality, with Verizon Wireless this week revealing expected speeds for the 4G network it will begin building out in 2010. The window for WiMAX in the U.S., on the other hand, will remain open next year, with AT&T not due to launch commercial LTE services until 2011. So here’s a quick breakdown in advance of next year’s battle of 4G technologies in the U.S.:
| WiMAX | LTE | |
|---|---|---|
| Download Speeds | 3-6 Mbps average, up to 10 Mbps | 5-12 Mbps average |
| Price | $70/month | N/A |
| No. of Subscribers | 173,000 | N/A |
| Deployments to Date | 25 markets including Chicago, Dallas and Seattle | Verizon Wireless trials in Boston and Seattle |
| 2010 Deployments | roughly 65 new markets | 25-30 markets from Verizon Wireless; AT&T to begin trial services |
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