Study: WiMax, MobileFI no threat to DSL

Consulting firm The Management Network Group (TMNG), has teamed up with financial house Bear, Stearns & Co. to produce a new market study called “Wireless Broadband: The Impact of 802 Technology.” The study analyzes the potential business effects of 802.16 WiMAX and 802.20 MobileFI and proprietary technologies.

Among other findings, the study, which surveyed executives from 25 organizations in the wireless broadband industry, reports that these technologies will find their best footing for deployment in suburban and rural areas that don’t yet have broadband, rather than in major markets as DSL/cable modem alternatives.

“The economics of DSL replacement are too difficult,” said Susan Simmons, vice president in TMNG’s strategy group. “The more near-term opportunity for these technologies is in under-served communities.”

International markets are another area of early adoption for WiMAX, she said. The study also analyzes the potential hurdles to timely deployment, such as spectrum availability. “If there are delays in the availability of enough spectrum, that could certainly be a gating factor,” Simmons said.