Copyright 2005 U.P.I.

The fixed/portable broadband wireless equipment market will pass the $2 billion mark by 2010, according to Research and Markets.

The market-analysis firm's prediction is based on positive cash flows posted by vendors such as Airspan and Alvarion, which in part have helped to make WiMax synonymous with broadband wireless.

Nearly 130 million people subscribed to broadband services in 2004 -- up 30 percent from 2003 -- and while DSL and digital cable will continue to dominate Internet services in urban areas, WiMax and related technologies will continue to become cheaper and more reliable in providing voice and data services anywhere in the world, according to the firm's analysis.