More than $3 billion will be spent over the next four years to build and operate public wireless networks for U.S. municipalities, according to Muniwireless.com.
Interest by U.S. cities and counties in public wireless is exceeding earlier expectations, reports GovTech magazine.
Spending will exceed $235 million in 2006 — significantly higher the forecast of $177 million made last year — according to the research findings.
For 2007, spending will reach $460 million, compared to last year’s estimate of $406 million.
In 2008, U.S. spending will grow 105 percent to $940 million, and 2009 spending will increase another 87 percent to $1.8 billion, according to the report.
MuniWireless 06, held this week in Minneapolis, was selling the report for about $500.
Other research studies are available from ABI Research Reports on WiMAX, Jupiter Media on cost per mile, Forrester Research, In-Stat, Maravedis, Pyramid Research, Research Reports International, New Millennium Research (arguments against it), Research and Markets, MITRE Techincal Reports, Gartner, Intel Research, Rethink Research and Trends Media by the well regarded Caroline Gabriel and several others.
Business Week has additional statistics including Wi-Fi penetration and WiMAX Growth.
Intel’s Communications Technology Lab is working on a single unified theory of wireless; let the processor do the heavy lifting. The rest will follow.
