OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Mobile communications vendors may soon find themselves in competition with WiMAX vendors for the same customers, according to a report from ABI Research.
According to the report, “HSDPA-Mobile Broadband,” the two camps started out on different paths but ended up at the same destination with the same target customers-mobile broadband for voice and data.
“HSDPA is an easy software upgrade from existing UMTS architecture, and cellular operators will be well on their way in 2005,” said Alan Varghese, ABI Research’s principal analyst of semiconductor research. “WiMax will need brand new networks and infrastructure, so the upfront costs and timelines may be more; but once deployed, WiMAX will offer very high bit rates and the possibility for new entrants to compete either using licensed or unlicensed spectrum.”
