forrester research

SPOTLIGHT: Enterprises on the WiMAX hype train

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:52 -0400

According to a Forrester Research survey of 1,033 telecom decision makers at various North American and European enterprises, WiMAX will eventually replace cellular data services based on 2.5G and 3G technologies because of its potential for deployment at lower cost, the higher bandwidth capabilities and a lower end-user cost. Article

Ad-supported free WiFi spread

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:01:34 -0500

Yes, free muni-WiFi and hotspots are in more and more cities (at last count, about 300), but the meaning of "free" may have to be redefined as the trend toward ad-supported services grows.

The latest to jump on the bandwagon is JiWire, which is now offering ad-supported WiFi through its relationship with Ultramercial. Users can avoid the ads by paying a monthly fee, otherwise the ads will appear prior to gaining free Internet access at hotspots. "It gives the user the choice whether they want to pay for content with traditional currency, or use the ads as currency," JiWire VP of marketing David Blumenfeld told ClickZ News. "You're using your eyeballs for currency instead of your wallet."

JiWire runs a directory of hotspots, and sells ads to run on WiFi provider networks. The company is thus likely to serve national brand ads through its Ultramercial agreement. Analysts believe that local ads will be more accepted by consumers. A recent Forrester Research report says ad-supported services could mean more services to consumers in their residences as well--for example, free and ad-supported broadband access could address the issue of price for more than half of the 60 percent of U.S. households still using dial-up or that have no access.

There are two issues ad-supported WiFi must address. First, consumer resistance to advertising. Consumers are resistant to more targeted advertising which relies on information about a consumer's location, income and age. Second, the business model of ad-supported WiFi is still being tested.

For more on ad-supported WiFi:
- see Enid Burns's ClickZ discussion

Cisco comfortably leads among WLAN vendors

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 19:01:37 -0500

There may not be many differences in features and quality between WLAN equipment from Cisco and such equipment from other companies. Still, Cisco leads all other vendors comfortably, according to a recent study by Forrester Research. In a close examination of the top seven WLAN system vendors, Cisco was the clear victor, said Forrester's Ellen Daley. "Cisco is above everyone," she said. "They're the one to catch, but they're going to be hard to catch."

Forrester evaluated the leading WLAN vendors--Aruba Networks, Trapeze Networks, 3Com, Nortel Networks, Symbol Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard's ProCurve division--in three categories: strategy, current offerings and market presence. Those categories were then broken down into 44 sub-categories. Overall, Cisco ranked highest and was followed by Aruba, Trapeze and Nortel. "Cisco not only has the largest market presence--about 70 percent of all WLAN deployments use Cisco gear--but it also has the most complete vision of WLANs and their integration with wired networks," Daley wrote. "Aruba and Trapeze are fast followers in technology, but both have small market presence compared with Cisco."

For more on Forrester's report:
- see Andrew Hickey's searchnetworking article