Even though the demand towards high-speed Internet on the go has been increasing, WiMAX will not become widely adopted globally in terms of market share, an analyst firm said. Instead, 3G and its iterations will power half of a billion mobile broadband users by 2010.

“We’re not likely to see technologies like mobile WiMAX or indeed, anything else, really take off until the next decade. However, HSPA and EV-DO will be more than acceptable for most users, giving them the speed and flexibility they want to use their fixed internet applications on the move,” said Sara Harris, senior industry analyst at Strategy Analytics.

According to Strategy Analytics’ recent report, “Beyond 3G: Looking for True Mobile Broadband,” new alternative technologies will contribute just 6% of the forecast 500 million mobile broadband users globally by 2010. Despite all the hype surrounding alternative technologies like WiMAX, it is iterations of existing technologies which will dominate the mobile broadband arena in the short term.

Technologies such as mobile WiMAX and UMTS TDD will lead the alternative technology camp, but enhancements to existing technologies, including HSPA and EV-DO Revision A+ will comprise the bulk of the market and are where the money lies in the short-term, the report reads.