WORLDWIDE MARKET RESEARCH REPORT - CISE

EC/IST FP6 Project No 026920
Work Package: 6
Type of document: Report
Date: 20.12.2007
File name: OP_WP6_D37_V1.0.doc Version: 1.0
Title: Worldwide Market Research Report 46 / 356
WiMAX to serve those who want to switch to broadband service is huge in many parts of the
world where wireline technologies may not be feasible.
WiMAX – as part of a growing market for point-to-point backhaul and grid networks that
connect increasingly to localized servers and storage and for person-to-person and group
communications, entertainment and file sharing – will see rapid growth from its current
starting point. WiMAX is still in the early rollout stage in Europe at this time.
WiMAX could dramatically lower the “wireless premium” for data services (in other words,
the difference between the price of accessing an application using a fixed broadband
connection as opposed to a wide-area wireless network) by leveraging potentially superior
network performance (which implies lower price-per-MB to consumers). To date, the much
higher cost of 3G compared to fixed broadband (a 127 percent wireless premium for
downloading an MP3 song, or a 91 percent premium for high-speed Internet access) has
inhibited demand for wireless connectivity.
WiMAX has the potential to boost demand for wireless data by reducing the cost of
integration of wireless interfaces into consumer devices such as laptops, MP3 players, digital
cameras and portable video games, and by minimizing the “wireless premium” to accessing
the same application with a fixed broadband connection. WiMAX could broaden the portfolio
of wireless enabled consumer electronics devices by lowering the wireless interface chipset
costs in these devices.
Specifically technology widely used in main WiFi and WiMAX enabled market segments is
represented by the following sectors:
• Mobile handsets
• Notebook computers (laptops)
• Gaming consoles and portable gaming products
• WiFi / WiMAX equipment (routers, access points, etc.)
• Other WiFi-enabled consumer products (cameras, printers, etc.)
The following table (source MOSAID Technologies Incorporated) reports the expected
evolution of WiFi /WIMAX market size by different sectors.