Battle looms between WiMax, Wi-Fi and 3G

All to play for with next-gen wireless.

Wi-Fi, WiMax and cellular 3G will coexist and compete to offer wireless broadband services, but experts have predicted that no single technology will dominate.

Analysts at In-Stat said that each technology has its benefits and challenges, but that ultimate adoption will vary greatly depending on the region of the world in which they are deployed.

"Each technology comes with its own strengths and weaknesses," said In-Stat analyst Daryl Schoolar. "In-Stat sees the technologies co-existing and competing."

Schoolar pointed out that Wi-Fi has been widely deployed in developed regions of the world, such as the US and Europe, as a hot-spot and wide-area mesh system by local governments, colleges and others.

WiMax, on the other hand, is being set up to be a fixed wireless and mobile access solution that will compete with cellular 3G.

The more developed the region, the more important it is for WiMax to be mobile, noted In-Stat's research.

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