A new report from Maravedis Inc. suggests that there is tremendous opportunity for consumer electronics manufacturers to capitalize on the portability and mobility trend if they jump on the mobile WiMAX bandwagon. But the study, Opportunities and Risks for Embedding WiMAX in Consumer Electronics, notes that a lack of broad network coverage may in fact hurt consumer electronics makers. "The opportunity is now for consumer electronics manufacturers to create their strategy for connecting an assortment of devices to the Internet for anytime, anywhere and high-speed access," said Jeff Orr, senior analyst at Maravedis and author of the report. He notes that there are already some devices that have WiMAX capability, but this hype must be tempered by coverage issues. "Build-out of mobile WiMAX networks must happen at a rapid pace to keep consumers from buying devices that lack places to connect," Orr added.

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