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WiMAX in Houston, Devices Offer Promising Future

Apr. 02, 2010 8:11 AM ET
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Many analysts and insiders are saying that with Sprint and Clearwire touting it as the future internet connection, WiMAX made great strides at CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas earlier this month.
I do think that with the device market driving users to sign up for the 4G technology, WiMAX penetration will continue to grow.

Clear (CLWR) launched services in Houston on March 29. It's a great market that means Texas becomes one of the most WiMAX-heavy states in the U.S. It's the first launch of 2010 as well. Clear plans to cover 120 million people by the end of this year and Houston is a great start. Operator and commercial aren't the only applications that use WiMAX in the U.S. - General Electric teamed with a Michigan utilities company to install smart meters in some homes as a pilot program to measure how accurate the readings are and to see how cost effective a system using WiMAX can be. Alvarion (ALVR) was given the Security Industry Association's Best in Public Safety Solutions Award for its BreezeMAX product.

For WiMAX to succeed, the devices must match the speed of WiMAX deployment. Dell released the Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with a special offering from Clear. Franklin Wireless released its latest USB modem for Sprint (S). It's a strong release deal to include the laptop along with the service and helps penetrate new laptop purchasers and first time computer buyers by offering Internet with their latest computing power. Expert panelist Cecil Taylor recently highlighted how WiMAX will influence the video realm.

International deployment continues to grow, as Zimbabwe is getting WiMAX next month. European telecom visionaries are meeting in the U.K. to discuss the future of technology, and in a marketing tactic, BSNL will offer a free trial service for WiMAX in India. It's a smart move to showcase the technology for skeptical or reluctant users. Redline installed WiMAX solutions in Romania to start deployment in the eastern European country as well.

WiMAX deployment will be led by the U.S. this year. Taiwan and India will continue to grow as potential markets for WiMAX. Clearwire owns a lot of spectrum space and the F.C.C. doesn't look like its going to auction spectrum space any time soon. Clearwire has also stated it could change over to LTE in a few years. Right now, the device market looks promising with the HTC EVO 4G and the mobile hot spots provided by Clear and Sprint.

Top Five Stories

1. WiMAX Now in Houston

2. GE Launches Smart Meter Program in Michigan

3. Latest WiMAX-enabled Netbooks and Modems Released

4. Euro Conference to Discuss Future Technologies

5. BSNL Offering Trial WiMAX services

Stat of the Week: 9.4 Billion, amount in dollars the worldwide WiMAX market would reach by 2014

Tweet of the Week: cdny: @sloppymccheese When the Wimax dream's fulfilled I'll be a happy man.

Photo Courtesy of jeffreylcohen via Flickr

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