WiMAX operators want WiMAX Forum certified devices

The overwhelming majority of WiMAX operators require devices to be WiMAX Forum certified.

This is one of the key findings of a survey conducted by the WIMAX Forum of over 70 WIMAX operators during Q1 2009. In response to the question ‘Will you require WiMAX Forum certification for devices?’ more than 50 operators responded. And of that number, 89 per cent said yes, with a further ten per cent indicating they would look more favourably on device manufacturers if they had certified products.

Only a single operator, according to the survey, said device certification was definitely not a requirement.

The WiMAX Forum says that the responses to the survey, created by the WiMAX Forum Network Operators Task Force, are a useful guide to determining the views held by the WIMAX operator community as a whole.

The survey sample size represents 10-15 per cent of the total number of WiMAX operators around the world, with responses coming from companies of all sizes – from greenfield operators to incumbents – as well as from a variety of geographies that are roughly in proportion, says the WiMAX Forum, to the actual segmentation of the world’s WiMAX operators.

Another survey highlight is that 74 per cent of respondents said they planned to sell WiMAX devices through general retail stores, underlining the different business model pursued by many WIMAX operators compared with the traditional (and more expensive) cellular approach of operator-branded retail outlets.

Although individual responses to the survey are anonymous, the WiMAX Forum confirms that some WiMAX big-hitters took part, including Clearwire. KT, UQ Communications, Wateen Telecom and Tata.