The rapid growth of the cellular phone subscriber base is a good example of how well India has embraced wireless technology. But these cellular technologies have not delivered broadband data connectivity to households due to cost and complexity. The new Government sounds positive about promoting broadband technologies in India. Will WiMax play a prime role in spreading Internet to the masses?

India is a big country with diverse geographical spread and a population of about 1 billion. But only half a percent of it has access to Internet due to lack of infrastructure. Building telecommunication infrastructure to cover the entire nation involves huge cost. However, even with the little connectivity, India has grown rapidly in the field of information technology.

Connectivity is vital to Indian business and society. Those having access to Internet have access to information, which is vital for the growth of any nation. Internet services help people stay connected with their friends and family through e-mail, audio or video chat, and also browse sites for job and academic opportunities.

While Indians are enthusiastic about the Internet, the lack of physical connectivity or telecommunications infrastructure as well as the high cost and lack of broadband technologies are a big hindrance to more widespread adoption of the Internet. According to a whitepaper provided by Intel, 14% of India's 0.6 million villages still do not have a single public telephone. But wireless technologies are beginning to offer reliable alternatives to fixed-line access, offering the potential for widespread, affordable connectivity to every region, village, and person in India.

Why WiMax?
While Wi-Fi has emerged as a successful technology in the last several years, the short range of 150 feet and its low bandwidth has limited its widespread usage, as compared to wired Internet connections. The new IEEE standard, 802.16, now known popularly as WiMAX, not only promises higher data transfer rates (75 Mbps, compared to 2Mbps for WiFi) but most impressively (for end-users), a WiMAX connection can be established at distances of about 30 miles, although practical applications will begin in the three to five mile range. The technology and standards for its applications are scheduled will witness initial deployment in mid-to-late 2005.

Tokyo will get the first major deployment of a WiMAX Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) in the world, by mid 2005. The Yozan MetroZone will deliver high speed IP connectivity with support for voice, video and broadband data services. Airspan Networks and partner Yozan will commence trials in the second quarter of 2005 and the commercial rollout will begin in the fourth quarter of the year. The contract is valued in excess of $12 million. This is a just a sample of how big the market for WiMax technologies can be in India.

French telecom major Alcatel has joined hands in an agreement with the Centre for Development of Telematics (CDoT) to set up a global research and development centre in India for broadband wireless products. The joint venture facility, to be established in Chennai, will employ 1,000 people and initially work on WiMax technology. Alcatel believes that broadband wireless and particularly WiMax is appropriate technology for India keeping in mind the requirements of the rural sector.

Who Is WiMaxing?
High-speed wireless broadband technology based on WiMAX promises an economically viable solution to accelerating the Internet adoption that can revolutionize lifestyles. Widespread Internet access can usher in economic growth, better education and health care and improved entertainment services as it has done elsewhere in the world.

About 243 vendors are already game for WiMax by becoming a part of a forum called the WiMax Forum. The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led, non-profit corporation formed to promote and certify the compatibility and interoperability of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) products using the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN wireless MAN specifications. The forum's goal is to accelerate the introduction of these systems into the marketplace.

WiMAX Forum Certified products will be fully interoperable and are expected to support both Broadband Fixed and Portable Applications. Through WiMAX Forum-led efforts, the economies of scale made possible by standards-based, interoperable products will drive price and performance levels unachievable by proprietary approaches. As a result, service providers worldwide will be able to deliver economical broadband data, voice and video services to both residential and business customers.

Because WiMAX is standards-based, it can enable economies of scale that will bring down the cost of broadband access and ensure interoperability while increasing ease of implementation. Without standards, proprietary equipment manufacturers provide the entire stack of hardware and software building blocks, and restrictive licensing can drive up costs. For the service provider, standards-based products with fewer variants and larger volume production will drive the cost of equipment down.

Competition among vendors will also lower equipment costs, because service providers will be able to buy from many sources and shop for the best price. For consumers, wireless products will be differentiated by the service, not the technology, and thus the consumer will benefit from a variety of competitive and cost-effective solutions that match their communication needs. WiMAX delivers greater throughput and greater scalability to meet consumer's needs.

WiMax By When?
It's becoming clear that WiMAX is quickly emerging as the future of broadband connectivity with 'across-the-board' applications for end-users. The technology appears to be affordable, and the ability alone to bring high-speed Internet to areas not currently wired for high-speed is huge. For those already with high-speed, businesses and individuals alike, WiMAX will offer a low cost broadband wireless roaming solution. And with a 10-mile base-station radius potential, they actually mean 'roaming'.

In theory, WiMAX will be available to users soon. While, initial deployments have already begun, full WiMAX capabilities will become common market technology by 2006. Considering the way Wi-Fi has taken off as a desireable alternative to even faster wired-line alternatives, it's hard to imagine how WiMAX, will not have a huge impact upon the personal and business technology of broadband networking. 

DQC NEWS BUREAU

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