NORTHBORO, Mass.-Long-term opportunities in WiMAX may exist in licensed spectrum and mobility, but early opportunities will lie in the unlicensed 5.8 GHz band, according to a new report from Trendsmedia and Rethink Research Associates.
“This is especially true in the United States, where licensed frequencies are held by only a few players and where high-power allowances make the 5 GHz bands appropriate for covering relatively sparsely populated rural areas,” said Caroline Gabriel, principal author of the report and co-founder of Rethink Research. “This promise, plus the increasing demand for broadband services in rural regions, is creating new interest among wireless ISPs and sparking a wave of consolidation.”
Gabriel added that traditional small community wireless Internet service providers with highly localized business models will become attractive to larger companies hoping to increase their footprints. Gabriel also noted the company is seeing an increase in ambitious WISPs that are seeking to use WiMAX to create regional or national networks.
The report, titled “Clearwire and the American WISPs: New Opportunities and Consolidation,” also identified several drivers of WISP interest in broadband wireless, including a rising demand for broadband services, gaps in broadband coverage and the emergence of WiMAX standards. The report also provides a detailed profile of Clearwire, which it calls the company with the most disruptive potential in the U.S. broadband wireless market.
