WTRS Press Release

Fixed WiMAX will Jumpstart Africa while Mobile WiMAX will Help Reenergize the Western World.

Fixed WiMAX will find its best uses in the third world, while mobile WiMAX will become the broadband of choice in the developed world. New report from WTRS evaluates potential WiMAX chipset penetration in varying market segments, provides 5 year forecasts for both fixed and mobile WiMAX, and uses Nigeria as one African model of future growth of the technology.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, July 17, 2006 - WTRS projects 31 million subscribers worldwide with 12% of those in Africa by 2010. In the U.S. mobile WiMax will eclipse fixed WiMax but in Africa, fixed WiMAX will probably show the greatest growth, given the ease of use and less stringent power requirements. In Nigeria alone great strides are being made with fixed WiMAX which will facilitate overall modernization.

WTRS does not believe it useful to simply join in the "forecast game," but focuses instead on finding the reasons for growth in a technology and providing the research to allow companies to profitably enter new markets and succeed.

Mobile WiMAX, a wireless broadband technology, is being developed to compete with advanced mobile services by expanding the throughput, offering a powerful and cost-effective alternative to the telecom industry, according to WTRS. Mobile WiMAX stands to potentially eclipse the developments of fixed WiMAX due to the increased flexibility that mobility affords many of the applications targeted by WiMAX. "WiMAX is especially well suited to applications found in emerging country markets, driven by a requirement to provide communications capability to the population in spite of limited existing infrastructure," says Kirsten West, PhD, founder and Principal Analyst with the high-tech market research firm. "We have found many of the WiMAX component suppliers increasingly focused on these markets. However, the market potential of the emerging countries is deceptive given the high rates of poverty, literacy, and in many cases the lack of electrical power. "

WTRS has also found that:

1. By 2010, WTRS forecasts that approximately 3% of all mobile subscribers, or 31 million subscribers worldwide, will be using mobile WiMAX-based wireless access services. Nearly 4 million of these wireless subscribers will reside in Africa.

2. It is most likely that in the U.S., fixed WiMAX will play a minor market role and mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) will quickly come from behind, eclipse and take the lion's share of the WiMAX market within a very short time. Among the market inhibitors to Mobile WiMAX, the high power consumption and requirement for hundreds of components present significant challenges.

3. The total addressable market for mobile WiMAX (802.11e) in Pakistan, a country with one of the largest world populations and the current focus of several large component OEMs, grows to only 12 million by 2010. By contrast, the total addressable market for Nigeria, a country with a much smaller overall population, is significantly larger.

4. In Nigeria, a population of roughly 130 million, fixed WiMAX is beginning to take off with six licensees introducing services, and with 13 more in the works all in the 3.5 GHz band. The topology of Nigeria is largely flat, hence WIMAX will fare well in that environment and, all things being equal, could become a significant factor in the economic development and modernization of the country.


5. In Africa generally he opportunities for fixed WiMAX, are much brighter, as the literacy requirement is not as stringent for the use case of a simple phone and fixed WiMAX offers a lower cost infrastructure than wired equivalents.

Recent WTRS research, WiMAX Technology Market Intelligence Report (#WT061007WMMIR), examines latest developments in the emerging fixed and mobile WiMAX markets and the role emerging country markets will play in its overall development. This report evaluates potential WiMAX chipset penetration and profitability in varying market segments. A business case study compares total addressable market for mobile WiMAX in the top African countries, as well as the early middle-eastern countries undergoing early WiMAX trials today. Five-year chipset shipment forecasts for WiMAX, fixed and mobile, are presented by worldwide geographic region, as well as by major geographic region. Five-year revenue forecasts for mobile and fixed WiMAX are also included. The report includes analysis of WiMAX technologies and alliance development, as well as an evaluation of current technology, geographical hotspots of activity, and corporate developments.

To purchase this research, or for more information, please contact George West.

The price is $3,500 U.S. Dollars.

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS RESEARCH

Title: “WiMAX Market Intelligence Report: A Comprehensive Evaluation of WiMAX

Market Potential Service: WiMAX Technology Options & Market Trends Tracking Service”

Product Number: WT061007WMMIR

Publication Date: July 2006.

Number of Pages: 86

Market Brief, Table of Contents, Figures & Tables all available upon request

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Market Research from WTRS

West Technology Research Solutions, LLC (WTRS) is an independent market research and consulting company with 8 years in wireless research specializing in Insteon, ZigBee, UWB, Bluetooth, WiMAX, IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, and other emerging wireless technologies and protocols. WTRS helps companies track the market potential & viability of wireless emerging technologies. WTRS reports are not funded by, or in any other way influenced by, companies which we study. WTRS market research and consulting services provide customers with the information they need to assess market opportunities, evaluate investments, monitor competition, form relationships, and make crucial business decisions in following cutting-edge technologies. WTRS customers range from start-ups, some still in development, to the largest and most prominent players in technology. All have an interest in market intelligence that aides them in making crucial business decisions
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