There is still lack of clarity over business case offered by WiMAX for mobile broadband services but nevertheless some operators are already exploring the opportunity. It thereby offers a significant opportunity to the vendor community who have lined up their respective WiMAX solutions and a new research by Infonetics Research highlights some important aspects pertaining to decision-making process of the operators.

According to the research the important parameters for operators while selecting a WiMAX vendor include Network Performance, Cost Effectiveness, Pricing, WiMAX Roadmap, Interoperability with other vendors and Service & Support.

The survey judged prominent vendors in the segment based on parameters such as technology, security, management, price-to-performance ratio, pricing, financial stability, service and support, and product roadmap.

Overall, Alvarion, Alcatel-Lucent and Motorola emerged at the top with Cisco and Huawei closely following. Cisco achieved highest ratings in four parameters while Huawei emerged at the top for equipment pricing.

“Mobile WiMAX service providers we surveyed recently gave highest ratings to Alvarion, Alcatel-Lucent and Motorola based on various criteria, such as WiMAX technology, pricing and service and support, although no one vendor was rated strong across the board. Cisco and Huawei also have good ratings, suggesting they are capable of closing ground on the top three. As the WiMAX market consolidates to a remaining handful of vendors and becomes more competitive, the perception of different aspects of the business will come under increasing scrutiny,” notes Richard Webb, directing analyst for WiMAX, Microwave, and Mobile Devices at Infonetics Research.

The survey conducted between December 2009 to January 2010 involved feedback from 21 operators hailing from Asia Pacific, Central and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and North America.

The respondents named Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Fujitsu, GreenPacket, Harris-Stratex, Huawei, Motorola, Redline Communications and Samsung as prominent vendors in the segment.