The mobile industry is expected to start shipping 246 million 4G-enabled Smartphones annually by 2016 according to new research released today by ABI Research. If that number is correct it would be a huge gain over 2010 4G numbers which equaled just 4.6 million units.

ABI notes that while tablets and other mobile gadgets have begun adapting to 4G technology it’s likely that Smartphones will continue to dominate the market for the foreseeable future.

The company also predicts that LTE technology will outshine WiMax based Smartphones in 2011 while growing at a compound annual growth rate of 72 percent over the next five years.

According to their report most of the world’s mobile operators now support LTE even though it costs more on a component basis. Carriers are citing a better alignment for spectrum space as their main reason for choosing LTE over WiMax

Kevin Burden, ABI’s vice president and practice director of mobile networks, said in a statement:

“Mobile operators prefer to support LTE over WiMAX since it makes the most sense strategically to put their weight behind the technology that is best suited to maintaining the status quo among wireless network incumbents.”

In order for 4G and specifically LTE technology to move forward however some issues still need to be addressed, for example the technology is still considered a “battery drain” on devices that use the technology, that is the main reason Apple didn’t jump on the 4G bandwagon with their Apple iPhone 4 and Apple iPhone 4S devices.

In the meantime 4G continues to be the “hot topic” for wireless carriers which explains why such a dramatic increase in sales is expected to occur over the next five years as more devices offer the technology alongside GPRS, Edge, 3G and 3.5G technologies.

4G Smartphone Market To Reach 246 Million Devices Annually By 2016 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rumors began circulating today that Clearwire will drop its own brand and instead focus solely on providing wholesale network solutions for the company’s WiMax network.

The move would not only mean a better emphasis on the company’s technology, it would also mean that Sprint, a minority share holder in the company, will no longer have to compete with the Clearwire brand.

Currently customers can choose to buy USB modems and Wi-Fi hotspot access from either Sprint or Clearwire. It should be noted that Sprint has opposed this type of arrangement.

According to the Wall Street Journal Clearwire was not able to mean their own targets for network expansion, causing funding problems when the company only reached 100 million customers in 2010, only 50% of their original estimates.

At this time Clearwire has not released a public statement regarding a new focus on wholesale networking sales.

Clearwire Ending Their Own Brand To Focus On Delivery is a post from: The Inquisitr

The HTC EVO 4G finally has pricing and a release date for the Sprint Network. The device will go on sale June 4th for $199 with a two year contract, including a required data plan.

Sprint has announced that video calling will be available via the devices front-facing camera over 3G and 4G data connections. Unfortunately video calling and all EVO 4G data plans come with a mandatory “Premium Data add-on” on top of regular data plan options which will set the customer back an addition $10/month.

The Evo 4G is also the first device to feature YouTube high quality video that auto kicks in when a WiMax tower is being used. Sprint has also announced simultaneous voice and data usage so you can surf the web while on speakerphone with mom.

Throw in a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and the EVO 4G is worth a much closer look.

HTC EVO 4G Goes On Sale June 4th At Sprint is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dell has announced that their Inspiron Mini 10 netbooks will start shipping with a WiMax option on April 1st, just several months after the company announced the pint sized computers.

The units, which feature an Intel N450 processor will be powered by the Clearwire WiMax network and will go on sale at Clear retail stores, through telesales and via Clear.com upon initial launch.

The netbooks will begin selling at a rather cheap $249.99 after an instant rebate, although no per-month data plan pricing has been released at this time. The netbook will also feature the same options found on non-WiMax versions of the book.

Based on current rates customers can probably expect to pay $40 per month for the service. [Engadget]

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Gets WiMax Starting April 1st is a post from: The Inquisitr

Intel Huron River CPUs will be arriving by the first quarter of 2011 according to recent reports and will be based around the 32nm Sandy Bridge silicon processor with dual and quad-core processors with built-in Intel Turbo Boost.

The chips are also expected to come with various forms of wireless connectivity, including WiFi and WiMAX depending on the model chosen by the user. Intel is also going to throw in wireless display technology as an added bonus.

According to SlashGear:

Intel are expected to position Huron River processors as suitable for both regular laptops and ultrathin models.  It will replace the Calpella platform, first launched in 2009, as the seventh-generation Centrino.

It’s quite a while to wait, but given the hype the processors have been getting, it’s a wait worth the time.

Intel Huron River CPUs To Be Released Upon The World With WiMax…In 2011 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Intel has just landed a $26 million deal to develop long-range wireless internet access for Sweden. It’s one of five companies that’ll take on broadband services for the country, according to news sources inside the nation.

Intel has a strong interest in the technology as a developer of WiMax and WiMax-related tools. As The Inquisitr reported earlier this week, the company just invested a full billion in Sprint and Clearwire’s new American WiMax venture. That network is being built to cover most of the U.S. with access five times faster than any wireless connections currently available.

Intel Inks New WiMax Deal is a post from: The Inquisitr

The companies officially let the cat out of the bag this morning. As suspected, the deal will operate under the name Clearwire, even though Sprint is putting the most money into the investment (51 percent of the total). Comcast, Intel, Google, and Bright House Networks are all contributing money as well.

Clearwire’s shares climbed 12 percent with word of the news in pre-market trading this morning. Sprint’s went up 5.5 percent.

Once finished, the WiMax network should be able to cover entire cities with high-speed access. Engineers say it’ll end up being about five times faster than the short-range WiFi currently available.

It’s Official: WiMax Is On The Way is a post from: The Inquisitr

USA Today is reporting Sprint and Clearwire will join forces to create a nationwide “Wi-Max” network — a concept basically like Wi-Fi, except reaching across much bigger areas. The report claims Google, Intel, Comcast, and Time Warner are all in on the deal.

The new company would start building the giant network under the name Clearwire, according to USA Today. Altogether, the six companies’ investments are said to add up to a cool $3 billion, $500 million of which is from Google.

An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.

Google Getting In On New Wi-Max Network is a post from: The Inquisitr