4G WiMAX on the U.S. market is threatened by the overwhelming hegemony of 4G LTE technology. This is starting to become a known fact. However, on a global basis, WiMAX technology is still a strong growing mobile broadband alternative to WiFi and other mobile networks (LTE mostly) to provide high-speed internet to remote areas for a low implementation cost.
Total worldwide sales of WiMAX equipment reached $502.1 million in the first quarter of 2011, announced the WiMAX Forum. This represents an increase of 49 percent from a year earlier (Q1 2010) and a yearly estimate over $2 billion. According to Infonetics Research, the WiMAX equipment market grew by 85 percent compared to last year and is expected to reach $6.9 billion by 2014.
From 2009 to 2010, the number of worldwide WiMAX subscribers rose from 3 million to 7.5 million, it passed the bar of 20 million at the end of Q2 2011 and is on track to meet the 25 million forecast for the end of the year. On a little longer term, exponential growth is expected and the number of subscribers should surpass 100 million by 2015.
Geographically, WiMAX technology growth is the strongest in Asia-Pacific countries and more precisely India. But its markets also extend to Latin-American and African countries with great opportunities to seize. In 2011 alone, over 30 WiMAX networks were either launched or expanded worldwide (Read: Google and Orange Bring WiMAX to African Customers)
Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum explains that “WiMAX technology is continuing to attract operators interested in bringing broadband internet to customers immediately. Consumers easily recognize the value of 4G services and the entire industry is benefitting through strong subscriber growth and equipment and device sales”.
