HSPA winning mobile broadband battle

New research is describing the rampant mobile broadband market as a 'tale of two markets'.

In the words of Informa principal analyst Mike Roberts it’s the best of times for WiMAX because the sector has gained momentum in the last year, with launches by Sprint Nextel and commitments from Google and device vendors.

But despite these successes, Roberts asserts that it's also the worst of times because rival HSDPA technology has become a runaway success and emerging rival LTE has gained the backing from the likes of Vodafone and China Mobile.

Roberts said: “The converging broadband market has changed dramatically in the last year due to the rise of HSDPA and the acceleration of LTE. There’s no doubt that Mobile WiMAX has come of age in the last year with the launch of major new services such as Sprint’s Xohm, but it now faces a tough fight with HSDPA and eventually LTE in key markets. As a result, many WiMAX vendors and operators need to reshape their strategies.”