The Definitive Analysis of Broadband Wireless Networks: WiMax, WiFi, LTE, and 4G Infrastructure

Report Summary

The wireless broadband sector is set to explode as true 4G networks, very high bandwidth WLAN, WiMAX, and a wide range of supporting devices arrive in the market. Current cellular networks provide 3G and 3G+ services advertised as 4G. As the debate over 4G rages, network operators and device manufacturers continue to rush forward toward the wireless broadband networks that will shape the future.

This publication represents the most comprehensive research available that evaluates broadband wireless technology, market place, business drivers, and ecosystem including WiFi, WiMAX, LTE, and supporting 4G network infrastructure. It is a must read for anyone involved in network and business planning, nework and application development, product management, corporate development and M&A.

Key Findings:

• Wireless Broadband is becoming increasingly important for network operators, equipment vendors, and consumers as new devices and technologies enter the market.
• Strategies for providing Wireless Broadband services have coalesced into a relatively small basket of offerings, all of which are likely to be more interoperable than in the past. This will result in wider access to broadband, and an increased presence of heterogeneous networks and multi modal devices.
• WiMAX started strong as a prospective next generation broadband offering, but it is now being eclipsed by LTE. This is resulting in an exodus by major carriers, chip suppliers, and equipment vendors from the WiMAX market. LTE is emerging as the clear winner among the cellular broadband standards, having gained significant momentum within the past two years.
• Wi-Fi has re-emerged in a new role after the well-publicized failures of metropolitan Wi-Fi. It is increasingly being used to expand local capacity of 3G/4G cellular networks in congested areas, as well as providing broadband connectivity in a growing range of local hotspots.
• Wireless broadband services are becoming increasingly interoperable with multi-modal base stations and handsets, increasingly sophisticated handoff techniques, and emerging heterogeneous networks (HetNets) that bring together a variety of access technologies.
• The Wireless Broadband market is being increasingly driven by emerging devices, such as smartphones and media tablets; and applications are becoming increasingly data hungry and tied to Cloud computing.

Audience:

• Telecoms operators and other broadband service providers: Continued development of wireless broadband solutions will have wide reaching effects across both the wireline and wireless sectors as companies compete for spectrum, devices, and backhaul connections.
• Regulators and government departments: Wireless broadband raise issues of spectrum availability and national policy that will ultimately determine national competitively.
• Mobile device vendors: Device vendors need to anticipate the needs of emerging markets for wireless broadband devices.
• Network equipment and chip vendors: Infrastructure vendors need to determine the size and nature of the markets for the various mobile broadband services in order to develop pricing estimates and deployment plans.
• Content providers: The evolving mobile broadband Internet is creating opportunities for new applications and content that match the evolving capabilities of networks and attached devices.
• Advertising and marketing agencies: Marketers need to understand the emerging mobile broadband infrastructure, device, and applications markets to make informed decisions on how best to serve their clients.
   

Table Of Contents

Wireless Broadband Services
What is a Broadband Service?
What Kinds of Networks Support Broadband Services?
Why Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE, and Real 4G?
Network Value Chain
Our Focus

WiMAX
Definitions and Trends
Hardware Providers
Chipsets
Infrastructure Providers
Major Vendors
Fujitsu
Nortel
Alcatel-Lucent
Cisco
Huawei
Motorola
Samsung
Nokia-Siemens Networks
Specialized Vendors
i.Alvarion
Redline Communications
Proxim Wireless Corporation
Airspan
Aperto Networks (division of Tranzeo Wireless)
Intel
Major Deployments
Sprint WiMAX
The Korean WiMax Model
Other Major Services
Test & Certification - WiMAX Products
Standards
Physical Layer (PHY)
Media Access Control Layer (MAC)
Market Analysis
Ecosystems

LTE
Definitions and Trends
Radio Interface
LTE Network Architecture - SAE
Hardware Providers
Chipsets
Devices
USB modems (dongles)
Tablets
Notebooks
Phones
Infrastructure Providers
Ericsson
Alcatel-Lucent
Nokia Siemens Networks
Huawei
Fujitsu
ZTE
Major Deployments
Verizon
DoCoMo
Test & Certification
Standards
LTE Release 8 Key Features
Market Analysis
Ecosystems

Wireless LANs - Wi-Fi/WLAN
Definitions and Trends
Infrastructure Components
Vendor Profiles
Chipsets
Broadcom
Qualcomm Atheros
Devices
Infrastructure Providers
Aruba Networks
D-Link Systems
HP Networking
Juniper Networks
Motorola Solutions
Xirrus
Cisco Systems
Service Providers
Chinese Telco Wi-Fi
Boingo Wireless
AT&T Wi-Fi
British Telecom (BT) Wi-Fi and FON
iPass Wi-Fi Roaming
Test & Certification - Wi-Fi Products
Wi-Fi Alliance
CTIA Test and Certification
Tolly Group Test and Certification
Standards
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 Standard
Technical Details
Wi-Fi Alliance and Wi-Fi
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Wi-Fi
Market Analysis

The Real 4G Industry
IMT-Advanced
LTE Advanced
WirelessMAN-Advanced (IEEE 802.16m)
4G Basics
Three Approaches of 4G
4G Approach #1 - Enhanced 3G or Extended 3G or Open Architecture
4G Approach #2 - Long Term Evolution (LTE)
4G Approach #3 - WiMAX
4G Drivers
Femtocells and HetNets
Definitions and Trends
Infrastructure Components
Service Providers
Ericsson LTE Advanced Trial
Samsung WiMAX 2 CEATEC Trial
NTT DoCoMo LTE-Advanced Test
Clearwire LTE-Advanced Trials
Specifications
LTE-Advanced
WiMAX 2

The Platform and Handset Industry
Definitions and Trends
Mobile Phones
Nokia
Current Smartphones
Apple
RIM
Samsung
HTC
Tablet PCs
Laptops
Other Devices
The Applications Industry

Summary and Conclusions
Tables
Table 1. Comparison of Mobile Internet Access Methods
Table 2. Current IEEE 802.16 standards
Table 3. Current Commercial LTE Deployments (Source: GSA)
Table 4. LTE Release 8 Major Parameters
Table 5. LTE-Release 8 User Equipment Categories
Table 6. Current LTE Specifications (Source: 3GPP)
Table 7. Boingo Top Locations
Table 8. 802.11 Standards
Table 9. Upcoming 802.11 Standards
Table 10. Worldwide Mobile Communications Device Open OS Sales to End Users by OS (Thousands of Units)
Table 11. Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, Q4 2010 (Units in Millions)
Figures
Figure 1. Wireless Broadband Network Value Chain
Figure 2. 4G Cellular Extension Using Wi-Fi
Figure 3. Moving Toward IMT Advanced
Figure 4. Heterogeneous Network (HetNet)
Figure 5. Device Sensors
Figure 6. Ubiquitous Broadband