By Michelle Robart, TMCnet Editor

According to a recent report by In-Stat, people are shifting focus from wireless 4G technology and ultra-mobile broadband (UMB) to LTE and WiMAX.

Both 4G technologies, meaning those technologies that are expected to meet the requirements of IMT-Advanced, are not even close to becoming available commercially In-Stat reports.

LTE Advanced and 802.16m WiMAX are being tailored to offer 100Mbps mobile throughput and 1Gbps stationary throughput. These extremely high throughput capabilities are predicted to be an important part of the ITU’s IMT-Advanced requirements.

"Mobile WiMAX effectively came on the scene in 2006 with South Korea’s WiBro; the earliest commercial LTE deployment will be in 2009," says Gemma Tedesco, In-Stat analyst. "Overall, In-Stat expects that mobile WiMAX will ultimately outpace LTE over the next few years due to timing of network roll-outs."

In-Stat research discovered that the success of the Sprint/Clearwire mobile WiMAX roll-out should largely affect whether or not large worldwide operators will launch mobile WiMAX.

The high-tech market research company also found that mobile WiMAX and LTE will represent only a small portion of total 2G/3G/4G cellular subscriptions in 2013, with GSM/EDGE/GPRS expected to make up more than 55 percent of the total 4.8 billion subscriptions.

In addition, HSPA may become 802.16e WiMAX’s true competitor, and also may setback LTE rollouts.

In-Stat’s research report, "The Road to 4G: LTE and WiMAX Lead the Way Worldwide," covers the worldwide market for 4G wireless technology. It provides predictions for global mobile WiMAX and LTE by product type. It also offers an analysis of the developing marketplace for these technologies, including deployment plans of mobile operators.

Technology vendors, service providers, technology professionals and market specialists, worldwide, rely on In-Stat’s experienced staff and in-depth research to support critical business, product and technology decisions. In-Stat’s insights are derived from both a deep technology understanding and comprehensive research, which examines each segment of the value chain for each market.

Michelle Robart is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Michelle's articles, please visit her columnist page.

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