Wi-Max? Why not?

The number of Wi-Max deployments worldwide in 2009 far outstripped deployments of LTE and HSPA, TeleGeography has said.

There were over 600 Wi-Max networks rolled out last year, compared to only 300 HSPA networks and 70 LTE networks, according to the global communications markets research company.

Wi-Max has the potential to boost the availability of mobileIP telephony solutions, as networks using the technology offer fully mobile internet access.

While few Wi-Max networks offer widespread coverage, demand for them is set to increase as they can offer wireless broadband access in rural areas, making mobile VoIP solutions more reliable.

This demand will see Wi-Max continue to grow, despite TeleGeography predicting that the next-generation mobile communication standard LTE and HSPA, another mobile broadband technology, will begin to supersede it in 2010.

"While the footprint of Wi-Max worldwide is still growing steadily, LTE deployments should gain momentum in 2010 and 2011," Peter Bell, analyst at TeleGeography.

The roll-out of LTE could be the "revolutionary" catalyst for the transition of VoIP phones and broadband speeds to mobile devices, broadband communications forum BroadbandIgnite said recently.