WiMAX Could Impact SDAR: Study
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 9/24/2007
GLENDALE, CALIF. — If mobile WiMAX is adopted, it could impact current car technologies such as satellite radio and traditional radio, according to a new study by Bridge Ratings.
Mobile WiMAX could enable the use of wireless Internet radio in the car, creating a potential competitor to traditional and satellite radio, said Bridge Ratings.
Mobile WiMAX delivers data at speeds from 2MBps to 4MBps. It offers an advantage over cellular data service as it is faster and could carry lower monthly service fees, said analysts.
After nine years of WiMAX deployment, wireless Internet radio in the car could cause satellite radio average listening rates to drop from a current average of 21 hours per week to more than 14 hours, said the study. Similarly, average listening rates for traditional radio could drop from about 19.5 hours per week to less than 14 hours per week.
Bridge Ratings said 23 million Americans have already accessed Internet radio through some form of wireless connection and this will increase to 77 million by the year 2010.
No suppliers have announced mobile WiMAX Internet radio devices yet for the car, but it is possible such devices could be available in one to two years, said Dave Van Dyke, president/CEO of Bridge Ratings.
Earlier this month, Sprint Nextel announced it would begin to deliver mobile WiMAX to the Chicago and Baltimore/Washington markets by the end of the year followed by approximately 15 additional major cities in 2008. Sprint Nextel, in combination with Clearwire, said its mobile WiMAX network would reach 100 million people by the end of 2008.
The Bridge Ratings study was conducted in July and August through interviews with 2,200 consumers.
