The new "Wireless Superchips" market research report by In-Stat provides for one growth scenario under which the WiMAX chipset market could be worth $950 million by 2009, but also allows for a more conservative possible growth track to about $450 million by 2009.

In-Stat still cites a competitive threat from 3G mobile chipsets. "Competing technologies include 3G technologies on the cellular side (EV-DO Release 0, A, and B; HSDPA) and Wi-Fi (coupled with wireless mesh networking and MIMO enhancements within 802.11n) on the networking side," said Gemma Tedesco, In-Stat analyst, in a statement announcing the research. "Persuading the large service providers to build infrastructures to support WiMAX will be the key for WiMAX boosters, especially convincing cellular operators, who already have built out expensive 3G infrastructures."

The report also states that the WiMAX chipset market remains in a nascent stage. Despite technology launches and advancements within the last year by Intel, Jujitsu, Sequans, Wavesat, TeleCIS, Beceem Communications and other--Beceem just yesterday announced a C Series funding round--there are still a relatively small number of chip developers participating thus far.

The In-Stat report includes a five-year forecast of the worldwide WiMAX chipset market, broken out by equipment type. The report also contains analysis of WiMAX chipset technology, market drivers and challenges, and brief profiles of chipset vendors.