WiMAX in Education market to reach $1.8 billion by 2015

Access, affordability and applications make WiMAX attractive for affordable high-speed connectivity in public schools.

CompaniesAndMarkets.com issued a research report on opportunities for WiMAX technology in the education market. The analysis is based on an on-going project case study in Palm Beach County, Florida where a WiMAX network is providing controlled Internet access and IPTV services for schools. The WiMAX in Education market is forecasted to reach $1.8 billion by 2015.

A school district can equip each student with a WiMAX-enabled laptop, says author Mike King. The school's intranet content and applications can be extended to the students' home for less than 10 percent of what a public school district receives in annual federal funds per student alone (before state and local funding). School districts could provide broadband wireless internet/intranet access for their students at home for as little as $40/student in capital expenditure and $1/month per student of operational expenditures.

One-to-one computing -- programs that enable one laptop per student -- is a powerful market driver for the deployment of WiMAX as a broadband access technology. WiMAX provides a low-cost means for crossing the digital divide. WiMAX-enabled laptops may be the only way for public schools to comply with federal mandates in education including No Child Left Behind and ATTAIN. The U.S. market for public schools is estimated at 45 million students.

By Jeff Orr

ORR Technology, LLC

Friday, May 16, 2008 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (0)