WiMax set to boost mobile broadband with 4G in India

By siliconindia   |   Monday, 23 August 2010, 17:22 IST
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New Delhi: WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), a fourth-generation mobile wireless access technology, has been proposed as the 'low cost high bandwidth' 4G technology in bringing mobile broadband to the masses of India. The WiMAX India 2010 conference organized by Bharat Exhibitions examined the key role of WiMAX, bringing both industry representatives and telecom officials together as panelists. At the WiMAX India 2010 conference Hung Song, Vice-President of global electronics major Samsung displayed several tiny modems that could transform laptops, cell phones and other knowledge devices to 4G wireless mode connecting to Internet through WiMAX points. The recent WiMAX spectrum auction has fetched the Government $8.56 billion. Operators are planning a rapid roll out to gain early mover advantage in a market said to be all waiting for this wireless broad band access technology. He explained how the smart phones from the South Korean company were offering a whole range of creative potential to the users doubling up as many devices in one. Department of Telecom Secretary and Telecom Commission Chairman P. J. Thomas inaugurating the conference referred to the Government programme of connecting all the six hundred thousand villages in a bid to reach out to rural people. Over two and a half lakh panchayats would have broad band connectivity and wireless broadband access would be the most effective and efficient means of achieving this. Public sector BSNL was providing 60 per cent of the 12 million broadband connections that had been achieved in India, according to R. K. Agarwal, Director, consumer mobility, of the company. He expected 6000 blocks to be connected with wireless broadband this financial year and 7800 next year. Broadband connections by BSNL would increasingly over 11 million next year. Household broadband was now covering 33.2 percent of the market in Malaysia revealed that country's leading WiMax operator Packet One International's managing director P. S. Tang. Malaysia was having a 100 percent coverage with GSM. Drawing from his business experience in Malaysia, he said WiMAX would take mobile broadband beyond voice to images and data and be competitive with other mobile technologies. Laying down a road map for roll out of the service in India, WiMAX Forum President and Chairman Ron Resnick advised operators to adopt a flexible architecture, reduce time to market and grab the opportunity create millions of jobs. For the Government it was "time for decisions' having done with the spectrum auctions. Mr. Resnick recalled how he has been advocating the WiMAX opportunity in India since 2002. There were already large number of equipment, devices and manufacturers and the opportunity "is vast". Describing the low cost high bandwidth technology that WiMAX offered as a "social responsibility" that "we must provide", Motorola Country Head for home and networks mobility, Subhendu Mohanty said that the Government target of 100 million broadband customers would soon be reached. Internet usage was growing but the concern was on how to push the growth to rural areas. With prices of devices and equipment going down, the chances of providing low cost connectivity were growing. The operators would have to focus on content and application development. Operators needed to build up an aggressive plan to create the right eco-system. The company was present in over 40 countries with its WiMAX providing what he called "end-to-end " solutions.