[Service providers will have to be convinced WiMAX is a worthwhile investment if it is to stand a chance against competing technologies.]

Scottsdale, AZ -- WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology has enormous potential, as it promises to satisfy a strong demand for ubiquitous mobile broadband, but competing technologies are significant threats, reports In-Stat. While much uncertainty remains in this market, the high-tech market research firm foresees the WiMAX chipset market reaching as high as $950 million in 2009. Another plausible, more conservative scenario, pegs this market at $450 million in 2009.

"Competing technologies include 3G technologies on the cellular side (EV-DO Release 0, A, and B; HSDPA) and Wi-Fi (coupled with wireless mesh networking and MIMO enhancements within 802.11n) on the networking side," said Gemma Tedesco, In-Stat analyst. "Persuading the large service providers to build infrastructures to support WiMAX will be the key for WiMAX boosters, especially convincing cellular operators, who already have built out expensive 3G infrastructures."

A recent report by In-Stat found the following:

*Despite tremendous hype around WiMAX, the WiMAX chipset market has a relatively small number of players, as the market is quite nascent.

*There has been much innovation in WiMAX chipsets this year. Heavyweights Intel and Fujitsu released WiMAX PHY and MAC System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solutions this year, along with startups Sequans and Wavesat. Signal processing specialist picoChip powered the market for macro base stations chipsets, with its software reference designs.

*Intel, perhaps WiMAX's biggest cheerleader, has the power to drive mobile WiMAX into becoming a standard embedded feature within mobile PCs, as Intel did with Wi-Fi in its Centrino mobile platform.

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