CTIA Wireless 2008
AirWalk (Finally) Launches Its CDMA2000 Femtocell
| Mar 25, 2008 | Wireless Infrastructure | Show update
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Analyst: Peter Jarich
Current Perspective: Negative/Neutral
Vendor Importance: High
Market Impact: Low |
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Event Summary
March 21, 2008 -- AirWalk announced that it would introduce its EdgePoint femtocell for CDMA2000 networks at this year’s CTIA Wireless conference and trade show. Building on the company’s experience with CDMA2000 picocells, the EdgePoint offer will be a compact (7” x 7” x 2”), limited-range (approximately 250 feet) base station configured for either 1xRTT or EV-DO services.
Analytical Summary
• Current Perspective: Slightly negative on AirWalk’s new EdgePoint CDMA2000 femtocell, because officially launching the product puts AirWalk in a position to execute on the femtocell market opportunity and its own picocell expertise. Yet, coming to market following Samsung (which has already registered commercial success at Sprint) and competing for a limited market opportunity means product or solution differentiators are needed. Beyond offering CDMA2000 operators femtocell vendor diversity, AirWalk does nothing to suggest that the EdgePoint is a product worth consideration – not even highlighting its success with CDMA picocells.
• Vendor Importance: High to AirWalk, because the company’s focus on CDMA picocells makes it an obvious supplier of CDMA femtocells. To this end, the company had hinted at its femtocell plans for the past year. Yet, before the company can actually tap the market (and compete with existing femtocell suppliers), it must officially launch its product.
• Market Impact: Low on the wireless infrastructure and femtocell markets, because the CDMA femtocell opportunity will be, ultimately, a global niche. While CDMA networks are still being expanded and built out, the number of operators capable of a CDMA2000 femtocell launch (i.e., mature market operators actively promoting CDMA) is relatively limited, thus driving most competition and competitors into the WCDMA space.
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Current Perspective
Competitive Positives and Concerns
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