The WiMAX ecosystem experienced a surprisingly healthy year in 2008, despite the global financial crisis, the ensuing recession, and the buzz around the 3GPP-backed Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Mobile WiMAX also made significant inroads, although shipments did not reach the predicted levels. A report from Maravedis titled, "WiMAX and Broadband Wireless Access Equipment Market Analysis, Trends and Forecasts," offers detailed data and analysis of WiMAX equipment shipments worldwide, vendor market shares, and CPE price declines. It also delves into application service providers for CPEs and base-station sectors by type, ODM, OEM and operator relationships, and market forecasts.
In 2008, over 1.2 million IEEE 802.16e-2005-compliant CPEs and embedded chipsets supporting mobility were shipped. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) mobile-WiMAX devices were just introduced to the market in 2007. Yet new deployments in various regions worldwide created a substantial market for MIMO mobile-WiMAX terminals and infrastructure equipment. The expansion of existing WiMAX networks and the conversion of some existing networks from fixed to mobile WiMAX also contributed to these numbers. The market for fixed WiMAX equipment did not vanish over the past year, as many operators continued rolling out infrastructure, sourcing terminals, and adding new users using IEEE 802.16d-2004 technology. CPE shipments reached 880,000 in 2008.
The CPE market through ODMs remained competitive and fragmented in 2008. Infrastructure vendors like Motorola, Huawei, Alvarion, and Samsung led the way. Yet smaller, more specialized players also gained market share. For more information about the Maravedis report, please contact info@maravedis-bwa.com.