Unlicensed Broadband Wireless (UBW) Vying for a Larger Piece of Broadband Market Parks Associates research provides comprehensive UBW industry analysis

Approximately 1% of all U.S. broadband households currently use broadband wireless access technologies, according to Unlicensed Broadband Wireless: Solutions and Applications, a new report being produced by Parks Associates. These data, drawn from a recent consumer survey of more than 3,300 U.S. broadband households, indicate an early market for these technologies, yet recent standards announcements and the popularity of wireless technologies may provide a boost to both industry and consumer support for unlicensed broadband wireless (UBW) technologies.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 17, 2003 — Approximately 1% of all U.S. broadband households currently use broadband wireless access technologies, according to Unlicensed Broadband Wireless: Solutions and Applications, a new report being produced by Parks Associates. These data, drawn from a recent consumer survey of more than 3,300 U.S. broadband households, indicate an early market for these technologies, yet recent standards announcements and the popularity of wireless technologies may provide a boost to both industry and consumer support for unlicensed broadband wireless (UBW) technologies.

Broadband wireless has a very small residential market compared to DSL and cable modem services," said Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai, research analyst with Parks Associates. Of the 21-22 million U.S. broadband households, approximately 200,000 of them are using broadband wireless services. That estimate includes subscribers to services based on licensed and unlicensed broadband wireless technologies."

The UBW service market has so far been highly fragmented, and equipment vendors are providing a variety of proprietary technologies using different bands and protocols, according to Cai. Residential rollouts of UBW technologies are still largely limited to rural, urban edge, and other underserved markets. Nonetheless, a few independent service providers offering UBW services as part of their service portfolio to both residential and enterprise customers are seeing some success in even the overbuild markets.

The proliferation of Wi-Fi devices in the residential market and the announcement of 802.16 standards have rekindled the hope of using unlicensed wireless technologies to deliver last-mile broadband access," Cai said. In actuality, demand for unlicensed broadband wireless products has been slowly building in the past two years, but market fragmentation may preclude large contracts and make the industry dependent on the growth of the number of wireless ISPs."

Unlicensed Broadband Wireless: Solutions and Applications provides analysis and forecasts of the highly complex UBW equipment and service markets. The report profiles more than 30 equipment vendors and their unlicensed products; analyzes different service market segments, including enterprise, residential/SOHO, and MUSH; provides perspectives of incumbent and independent service providers as well as consumers; addresses market challenges; and forecasts market growth.

About Parks Associates: Parks Associates is a market research and consulting firm that provides information and analysis to its clients on emerging residential, small office, and light commercial technologies. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, multiclient studies, consumer research, workshops, and custom-tailored client solutions.

Its market expertise encompasses the full range of connected-home solutions, including home networks, digital entertainment, broadband and Internet services, and home systems. Parks Associates also hosts two industry events, Forum and CONNECTIONS (in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association), each year. www.parksassociates.com.
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