Broadband wireless technology should flourish in 2006, a research group said Wednesday.

In its report on broadband wireless markets, Northern Sky Research said that next year will see a number of key developments in the industry, including the launch of WiMax, or long-distance wireless broadband technology, by mid-2006.

"After years of planning and industry efforts, the market is poised to see the entrance of WiMax, UWB (ultra wide band wireless communications technology), and ZigBee (home automation networks) over the next 12 months. These new technologies are set to target specific personal and metro access market opportunities, with the promise of high performance, eventual low costs, and interoperability," Christopher Baugh, head of NSR, said in a news release.

"With over 1.2 billion (third-generation technology) subscribers projected by 2010, it is clear that 3G will be the leading broadband wireless technology over the next 5 years in this increasingly competitive market," Baugh said.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International