WiMAX and consumer electronics a good marriage?

The drive to get in-home-like broadband services on the go could be one of the major drivers of embedding mobile WiMAX into myriad consumer electronics devices, according to Jeff Orr, a senior analyst with research firm Maravedis. "Enabling that home broadband experience is what had been identified as the killer app for mobile WiMAX initially," he said during the Opportunities and Risks for Embedding WiMAX into Consumer Electronics webinar on July 18. While it's a no-brainer that mobile WiMAX will be integrated into mobile computing devices such as smartphones, laptops and other Internet appliances, putting the technology into consumer electronics devices is also appealing for CE makers. According to Orr, one of the big three videogame console vendors has already indicated that it plans "to offer mobile WiMAX connectivity as a future product feature. So we're really moving beyond just the PC-based types of solutions and looking really at new types of types of devices that are definitely well-engrained in the CE space."Digital cameras and MP3 players are the most talked about consumer electronics devices that will see greater wireless connectivity in the future and potential prime candidates for mobile WiMAX integration. Orr admitted that it still remains to be seen whether WiMAX will be the wireless technology of choice though. "There is no shortage of technology that is trying to address that connectivity challenge of providing high-speed Internet access in an anytime, anywhere kind of model," he said. But, he adds, WiMAX may have an advantage since there are approximately 450 companies actively involved in the WiMAX ecosystem. "Having that kind of support from all facets of the ecosystem whether it be in silicon technology, in products themselves, test equipment, operator support, applications and services, all that working together is very important at an early stage for a technology such as WiMAX to have a potential for success," Orr said. While it seems that mobile WiMAX and the consumer electronics space are ripe for a long and healthy marriage in the future, there are still some elements that could derail a happy union. According to Orr, there are still barriers and otherwise to overcome. First of all, he said, innovative applications such as in-dash information or rear-seat entertainment will simply not be feasible until there is widespread network coverage. This is not expected to happen for another couple of years. "No one is going to invest in a vehicle with an in-dash system that only roams across one metro market," Orr argued. "You're not going to see that kind of adoption until it goes across provinces, states, counties and entire countries." Another challenge will be to develop WiMAX chip sets that have low enough power consumption and heat dissipation to be suitable for integration into battery-powered devices. Orr noted that current levels of 1 watt of total consumption needs to drop to about 150 milliwatts to be suitable for embedding. He expects the power and heat dissipation issues to be dealt with in the next 18 to 24 months. Despite the challenges ahead, Maravedis is bullish on WiMAX-enabled CE devices. The company predicted in a report it released in April there would be 25 million CE WiMAX units shipped in 2012, representing two-thirds of all customer premises equipment.

WiMAX and consumer electronics a good marriage?

News | August 13, 2007

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