Asia To Dominate WiMAX Market, Study Claims

About 45 percent of all WiMAX subscribers in 2009 will be in the Asia Pacific region of the world, according to a study released Wednesday by market research firm In-Stat.

The study predicts that the number of subscribers in that region will increase from 80,000 this year to about 3.8 million in 2009. Of the countries in the Asia Pacific region, South Korea will be the most active in terms of WiMAX, the study said. It anticipated that 40 percent of all expenditures in the region for WiMAX equipment will come from South Korean operators. Chinese operators will account for 34 percent of all equipment purchases and Japan will account for 17 percent, the study claims.

The study notes that South Korea already has a highly sophisticated broadband industry, which accounts for its potential leading position in the WiMAX arena. However, the study noted that, as a technology, WiMAX won't have a free ride in the region.

"Issues that may hamper the adoption of WiMAX networks in the region include spectrum regulation that varies significantly across countries and competition on mobility from other technologies," Bryan Wang, an In-Stat content manager based in Asia, said in a statement.