Wireless Broadband Called Long-Term Winner Over 3G: Study

Wireless broadband technologies such as WiMAX and FLASH-OFDM will replace 3G cellular data networks, according to a report released Thursday by Datacomm Research and Rysavy Research.

The report, based on the findings of a panel of experts, says that wireless broadband based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, such as WiMAX, is better suited that cellular data for high-speed wireless access. That's particularly true when OFDM is paired with Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) smart antenna technology, according to the report.

The report noted that OFDM utilizes multiple channels to send and receive data, which results in less interference than 3G cellular data systems such as 1x EV-DO and HSDPA.

"The advantages of OFDM and particularly MIMO-OFDM in a wide range of applications become more pronounced as the wireless industry moves to higher speeds," report author Peter Rysavy said in a statement.

Some wireless carriers have indicated they will deploy wireless broadband in addition to 3G. For instance, Sprint recently said it would trial and probably deploy WiMAX even though it also is deploying a 3G 1xEV-DO network.