The WiMAX Forum thinks there will be 133 million WiMAX users in the world by 2012.
It said its forecast is based on the results of an independently commissioned research study. The study estimates that 70 percent of forecasted WiMAX users by then will utilize mobile and portable WiMAX devices to access broadband Internet services.
Preliminary results were announced at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas. Its proponents say they see “accelerated growth of the WiMAX ecosystem, the acceptance of WiMAX technology and demand for mobile Internet services across the world.”
The study also said a driver of subscriber and user growth will be ambitious adoption in specific regions, including Asia Pacific and the Americas, “where WiMAX technology is anticipated to be the leading technology selected to deliver broadband Internet access to a greater geography of these regional populations.”
The group said the first Mobile WiMAX Certified products are expected to achieve certification by mid year.
The WiMAX Forum is an industry group that promotes compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon the harmonized IEEE 802.16/ETSI HiperMAN standard.
