One theme we’ve heard lately is that mobile Internet technologies will eventually replace home broadband. While that’s quite a bold statement, especially considering the existing infrastructure, it’s still a possibility. In fact, a recent Juniper Research report shows that 12 percent of current DSL customers will be WiMax-bound by 2013. This is mainly in areas where DSL speed isn’t the greatest. This has long been said to be one of the advantages of WiMax: bringing broadband service to under-served areas.
The report’s author, Howard Wilcox, gives his take on the matter: “WiMAX will be an attractive offer in areas where there are no wired networks, and in areas where the existing DSL speed is suboptimal.” An optimal solution for suboptimal service. That’s gotta be a slogan for someone, right?
The always-informative DSLreports notes that this type of talk might just be fluff, though. Intel, big time WiMax backer, thought that WiMax would be competing with DSL by this point. Yet it’s not. Then again, there’s a difference between saying that in 2006 for 2009 and saying it in 2009 for 2013. WiMax is actually up and running now, so the game’s a bit different. Perhaps WiMax truly can fulfill its destiny as DSL destroyer.
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