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According to a new report from market research and industry analyst firm Maravedis Inc., the nascent mobile broadband market is primed for the emergence of WiMAX-enabled consumer electronics (CE) devices.

‘Opportunities and Risks for Embedding WiMAX in Consumer Electronics’ is the first report covering the intersection of WiMAX and CE. The report details the status of WiMAX technologies, services critical to WiMAX success, CE products geared to WiMAX delivery, and manufacturer plans.

CE devices like MP3 players and digital cameras require a computer to transfer media files to and from the Internet. Broadband wireless technologies, such as WiMAX, are now available so CE devices can interface directly to the Internet without requiring a PC.

“Consumers represent the largest audience for mobile Internet products. They want home broadband experience without restriction of location. The opportunity is now for CE that connects to the Internet for anytime, anywhere access,” reports Jeff Orr, Maravedis senior analyst and author of the report.

Report highlights:

- Embedding WiMAX into CE devices creates new ‘connected’ services and revenue models.
- The biggest challenge for WiMAX is deploying a significant service area footprint. Coverage across regions and nationwide access is necessary for consumer services to be viable.
- Current 802.16e-2005 chipsets do not meet power consumption requirements for integration into battery-powered handset devices. Next-generation chipsets will bring consumption under a quarter Watt.

Maravedis expects 25 million CE WiMAX units to be shipped in 2012 representing 67% of all customer premises equipment (CPE)

“Over fifty mobile WiMAX consumer devices have already been announced, including PDAs, ultramobile PCs, and in-dash vehicle information systems,” continued Orr. “This early portfolio has to be tempered with the reality that regional WiMAX coverage will not be in place before 2008.”