Mobile WiMAX is giving latecomers which have been overwhelmed by major companies in the telecom industry great chances to expand market share.
One of the latecomers is Samsung Electronics. The world-class manufacturer of semiconductors and cell phones has been struggling in the telecom equipment market. However, the company is rapidly gaining power by providing Mobile WiMAX equipment for a growing number of operators including KT and Sprint which has recently started commercial service.
Instead of LTE, the strongest candidate for 4G, Samsung focuses on Mobile WiMAX in an attempt to take advantage of the absence of major players.
Woonsub Kim, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics said, "The LTE standards will be fixed in the latter half of 2009 at the earliest and the market will be developed in the remote future. Meanwhile, we will concentrate on Mobile WiMAX. If the market is there, we have no reason to avoid it." He also said, "Samsung is providing Mobile WiMAX solutions for over 11 operators including Sprint and preparing for service launching with over 30 operators. In particular, the US, Japan and Russia have the greatest potential for us to increase the market share."
Samsung's strategy seems to be paying off. ABI Research's report in March ranked Samsung first among WiMAX equipment providers including Motorola, Cisco, Nortel, and Fujitsu.
Posdata and SK Telesys are also producing successful outcomes in the world market. An SK Telesys official responsible for the company's global business said, "We will provide Mobile WiMAX solutions for 5 operators including one in the Middle East. Mobile WiMAX is yielding better results than other items. The majority of operators interested in Mobile WiMAX are third-tier companies. They want to take their first step into mobile broadband service through Mobile WiMAX."
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