The Who/What/Where Of WiMAX In The US

After years of anticipation and temptation, true WiMAX has officially arrived. After a slow initial rollout to four US markets in the past year, network expansion has accelerated, with as many as 22 new markets expected to come online in the last four months of 2009. The "new" Clearwire is focusing hard on major markets to take advantage of consumers' growing interest in on-the-go broadband. Competitive carriers be warned: When WiMAX comes to town, things will be different. A WiMAX market launch brings as many as three new players into the market, each with unique product offerings, customer relationships, and/or market positions. With fast connection speeds and attractive prices, WiMAX providers have an opportunity to win market share from heavy-hitting wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon in advance of those carriers' deployment of long-term evolution (LTE) — a virtual necessity for the new kids on the block to become major players in the wireless broadband market.