WiMAX has suffered some public setbacks in the United States lately as WiMAX provider Clearwire Corp., with its promise to bring national mobile 4G broadband to the masses, has faced funding issues and delayed market build outs. The rival wireless technology LTE, meanwhile, has gained momentum and carrier backing as the de facto 4G standard for national networks in developed countries.
Even still, the fact is that WiMAX might in fact be poised for widespread uptake on a worldwide level.
Clearwire last week unveiled its plan for market roll-out in its earnings call. “Even if they do not get additional capital, they will have enough to get started in the current climate,” said analyst Phil Solis at ABI Research, who has forecast a staggering 4,500-percent growth in subscriber revenue this year alone for global WiMAX services.
Clearwire’s new deployment plan calls for the launch of eight more big-city markets this year, along with a dual-mode 3G/WiMAX card that will let WiMAX subscribers roam onto partner Sprint-Nextel Corp.’s 3G network, making for more pervasive coverage. As it is, even with no 3G roaming and with just one market deployed — Portland, Ore. — Clearwire said service revenue rose to $59.7 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $45.4 million one year ago.
