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The top 22 operators worldwide will contribute 2.5 million subscribers to the total number of WiMAX users by the end of 2009—up from 1.24 million today—and close to 4 million by the end of 2010, according to a report from Maravedis titled “The Top 22: Operators Who Will Make or Break WiMAX.”

Maravedis selected these operators for the report based on two criteria: they have the resources to deploy major networks, and they have access to sufficient spectrum to be profitable in the long term. In fact, 46% of the operators have 50 MHz or more of spectrum, while 45% have more than $100 million in cash. These operators include Clearwire, Scartel (Russia), UQ Communications (Japan), Far EasTone (Taiwan), BSNL (India), and Telmex International.

The report further notes that 42% of these operators also are considering or planning to Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Additionally, standalone CPEs and PC peripherals like USB dongles and PC cards have been dominating networks so far. Yet embedded multimode devices have emerged in the last few months thanks to operators such as Scartel.

While these operators have the support of strong investor groups and deep pockets to offset limited credit facilities, they still have been affected by the current financial crisis. As a result, wireless capital expenditures by most of the top WiMAX operators will slow down in 2009. Some operators also are felling pressure from not having the right spectrum or sufficient spectrum to achieve their deployment plans.

“It is important to keep in mind that WiMAX is just now entering a phase of commercial availability that makes volume applications, including machine to machine, utility monitoring, metro-wide mobile broadband, and embedded consumer applications feasible. In addition, the lean WiMAX ecosystem has already reached price points for ICs, modules, and devices to compete in volume markets,” noted Robert Syputa, partner and senior analyst at Maravedis.

Additionally, the report found that 47% of current networks account for less than 10,000 subscribers, and 75% of operators have more than 10 million POP covered. Operators are generating an average revenue per user (ARPU) of $35 for residential services and $93 for business services. And, 33% of operators use only microwave radios for their backhaul, while 52% plan to deploy femtocells in the next 24 months.

For more information about the report, go to http://gw.vtrenz.net/?O7OEMQLEV1.