Next Generation Communications: WiMAX Archives

Infonetics: ALU Among Top Mobile WiMAX Vendors

Edited By Greg Galitzine on January 21, 2009

A recent survey conducted by Infonetics finds that Alcatel-Lucent is among the top vendors in the mobile WiMAX market. According to the survey, which asked Service Providers to name the top equipment suppliers in the space, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Huawei and Motorola led the list of a dozen gear makers. The survey, Perception Is Everything: WiMAX Vendor Leadership Service Provider Survey, was conducted over the course of two months (October/November) 2008, and asked purchase decision makers at incumbent, competitive, and mobile operators that own and operate a mobile WiMAX network (or will by 2010) about their: · Mobile WiMAX and cellular mobile network deployment plans · Most important criteria for choosing a mobile WiMAX equipment vendor · Familiarity with 10 mobile WiMAX vendors · Perception of the top vendors in the mobile WiMAX market · Ratings of 10 mobile WiMAX vendors based on 7 criteria: handsets and applications, WiMAX network performance, end-to-end solutions, pricing, product feature/roadmap, service and support, and ecosystem Of the Service Provider respondents 41% are from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); 23% are from Asia Pacific; 18% are from North America; and 18% are from Central and Latin America (CALA).

Posted in Alcatel-Lucent Corporate News, Alcatel-Lucent Technology News, Broadband, Next-Generation Communications, WiMAX

Alcatel-Lucent to Focus on LTE

Edited By Greg Galitzine on December 15, 2008

As reported on Friday, Alcatel-Lucent plans to undergo some strategic realignment of its core efforts, and among other things it means that there will be less attention on WiMAX in favor of a strategy that calls for a stronger focus on LTE or long-term evolution. Some analysts would think that's merely a prudent reaction to the market. According to a recent Infonetics report: ...worldwide sales of fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment and phones/Ultra Mobile PCs dropped 21% to $245 million in 3Q08 from 2Q08, and are expected to continue sliding through 2009 as the economic recession puts the squeeze on this early market. Even Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff said that his company -- clearly a leading poster child for WiMAX -- would also consider deploying LTE down the road "if it makes sense for us to do so." Of course, that's not to say that Clearwire is backing away from WiMAX, but it does go to show that equipment manufacturers need to place their bets on one side or the other in this evolving battle, not both. Blogging on the 4G Wireless Evolution site, resident expert Paul Kapustka has more on that subject.