Government spending for mobile and wireless hardware, software and services will surge tenfold to $8.6 billion by 2010 from $802 million last year, according to Juniper Research. Portable and handheld end-user telecom devices will account for bulk of this spending, with revenue from such devices to reach $3.4 billion by 2010. The advent of WiMAX, with its greater range and higher data-transfer speeds compared with Wi-Fi, is expected to push local governments to spend on new wide-area broadband infrastructures. Juniper Research says the 802.16 standard's ability to provide wireless broadband backbones 'is making it of considerable interest for government and education in developing countries.'
Mobile Local Government: Opportunities & Strategies for Wireless Technologies & Applications
www.juniperresearch.com