BANGALORE: Wipro Technologies’ research team is developing technology to help provide cheaper, high-speed broadband internet access. For this, the company has tied up with manufacturers to make the product overseas for sale in India and the global market. The equipment, to be located on customer premises, will allow broadband speeds of between 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and one gigabit per second (Gbps), with commercial launch expected next year, general manager (telecom) Manoj Dighe said.
The so-called pizza boxes that are under development work on digital subscriber line (DSL ) technology, can support an average of 24 customers with a speed of 100 Mbps to allow applications such as IPTV, and digital television services using internet technology. The ‘ONT,’ or optical network terminal boxes, support one user, with speeds of 100 Mbps to 1Gbps, he said.
The products will be manufactured by Wipro’s partners mainly in Europe and Taiwan with an investment of $70-80 million, Mr Dighe said, but declined to name them citing non-disclosure pacts. “We will be providing the software that will be the brain of the boxes. The products will help our tier-1 and tier-2 customers complement their portfolio. The production is not taking place in India because the margins here are low and manufacturing technology is lacking.” Wipro is aiming for sales of 200,000-300,000 ‘pizza boxes’ — to be distributed by tier-1 equipment vendors — in five years and up a million ONT boxes in 3-5 years.
“They will be cheaper, have right configuration for telecom service providers and help to bring down broadband rates,” Mr Dighe said.
He did not specify the cost of the equipment or by how much it would help bring down rates.
The research team is also looking to develop products in wireless space, including Femto cells, or smaller cellular base stations, and unified communications.
"The infrastructure is already there due to presence of major unified communication companies, but what is required is development of applications on these platforms."
Source : EconomicTimes
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Blackberry, WiFi system come under security scanner
NEW DELHI: In what may spell trouble for Blackberry and wireless fidelity (WiFi) internet service providers, security agencies are likely to harden their stance for having a fool-proof mechanism in place at the earliest.
The move comes close on the heels of militants of Indian Mujahideen using the wireless fidelity (WiFi) to send an email minutes ahead of audacious Ahmedabad attack.
"We are seized of the matter and it would be taken up with appropriate authorities soon," a senior Home Ministry official said.
When asked about the Blackberry services which were a point of controversy between security agencies and Information and Technology department, the official said the ministry has pointed out its hazards and it was for them to act.
The official said the security agencies had pointed out that password protection should be introduced in every customer using the WiFi technology.
However, the recent hacking in its proxy server while sending the email ahead of the weekend blasts was a glaring violation of the same, sources in the union Home Ministry said, adding that the Department of Telecom may not have placed in stringent measures.
The security agencies, in the case of Blackberry, have asked Department of Telecom to ensure that traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside the country.
"There should be a single point of delivery system for the entire Blackberry traffic in India and the traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside," they said in a note to DoT.
The move comes close on the heels of militants of Indian Mujahideen using the wireless fidelity (WiFi) to send an email minutes ahead of audacious Ahmedabad attack.
"We are seized of the matter and it would be taken up with appropriate authorities soon," a senior Home Ministry official said.
When asked about the Blackberry services which were a point of controversy between security agencies and Information and Technology department, the official said the ministry has pointed out its hazards and it was for them to act.
The official said the security agencies had pointed out that password protection should be introduced in every customer using the WiFi technology.
However, the recent hacking in its proxy server while sending the email ahead of the weekend blasts was a glaring violation of the same, sources in the union Home Ministry said, adding that the Department of Telecom may not have placed in stringent measures.
The security agencies, in the case of Blackberry, have asked Department of Telecom to ensure that traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside the country.
"There should be a single point of delivery system for the entire Blackberry traffic in India and the traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside," they said in a note to DoT.
Raja may announce 3G, WiMax, MNP policy on Friday
NEW DELHI: After settling differences with telecom regulator TRAI on reserve price of spectrum, the Government is likely to announce the much-delayed 3G and Wi Max policy on Friday, sources said.
The announcement may come amid indications that at least 10 players would be issued 3G licenses as against five proposed earlier.
According to highly-placed sources, the government has about 60 MHz of spectrum (radio frequency) for the next generation (3G) mobile services and this can accommodate at least 10 players.
The differences between DoT and TRAI also delayed the 3G policy announcement. The political uncertainty following the Left parties withdrawing their support to the UPA government also played a part in the delay.
The other key proposal which is likely to see the light of day is Mobile Number Portability which will allow subscribers to retain the mobile number even after changing the service provider.
On 3G proposals, TRAI has already agreed to the proposals of DoT for hiking pan-India licence fee for third generation mobile services to Rs 2,200 crore and pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, popularly known as WiMAX, to about 840 crore -- Rs 60 crore for five metros and category A circles, Rs 30 crore for category B and Rs 10 crore for category C circles).
DoT has also fixed the base price at Rs 160 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 80 crore for category B, and Rs 30 crore for C circles, respectively for 3G spectrum auctions.
Source : EconomicTimes
The announcement may come amid indications that at least 10 players would be issued 3G licenses as against five proposed earlier.
According to highly-placed sources, the government has about 60 MHz of spectrum (radio frequency) for the next generation (3G) mobile services and this can accommodate at least 10 players.
The differences between DoT and TRAI also delayed the 3G policy announcement. The political uncertainty following the Left parties withdrawing their support to the UPA government also played a part in the delay.
The other key proposal which is likely to see the light of day is Mobile Number Portability which will allow subscribers to retain the mobile number even after changing the service provider.
On 3G proposals, TRAI has already agreed to the proposals of DoT for hiking pan-India licence fee for third generation mobile services to Rs 2,200 crore and pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, popularly known as WiMAX, to about 840 crore -- Rs 60 crore for five metros and category A circles, Rs 30 crore for category B and Rs 10 crore for category C circles).
DoT has also fixed the base price at Rs 160 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 80 crore for category B, and Rs 30 crore for C circles, respectively for 3G spectrum auctions.
Source : EconomicTimes
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Citywide WiFi Planned by BMC in a 50-Crore Plan For Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has brought forward a plan, which, if implemented, would allow anyone to use WiFi on their compatible laptops or mobile phones. This initiative by the BMC is a public-private partnership of sorts, in which the BMC plans to cover the entire city with WiFi coverage, albeit not free.
Once the city is WiFi enabled, it will enable any user who has a WiFi enabled device to surf the web from any location in the city. Once he is connected, he will be able to move around in the city at his own will, without worrying about any wires. The project was only recently declared ‘technically feasible’ by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is BMC’s consultant for their e-governance project too. The project, which has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years, was initially limited to the BMC Headquarters, ward offices, zonal offices and the civic hospitals.
The BMC plans to invite tenders in a month’s time for the project. According to the plan, BMC will only be responsible to erect the towers and the infrastructure required for the technology. The rest will be done by the service providers, who in turn will give a part of their profits to BMC. The details of the profit share have not been finalized yet. Revenue will be generated from the subscribers, although BMC maintains that this will be cheaper than other such services.
BMC is following Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal corporation who have planned the same in their area and the tenders for the same have already been floated. Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner for the BMC was quoted:
The BMC hopes to speed up its e-governance initiative with this move. Senior Officials from the governing body said that such a network would make it easy for the citizens to communicate with each other and the civic body, thus making communications easier and processing time shorter. Cyber experts, on the other hand, see this move from a different perspective. According to them, this would place Mumbai among the top technologically advanced cities in the world.
If the plan does indeed go through, it would be interesting to see how it would be implemented. According to me, it would really help if there was a single system of managing the service. Something on the lines of Mobile Recharge coupons should be implemented, wherein each user will have his own account and he is charged as per usage. We will also need to wait and see what speeds would be implemented along with the service.
But wait, if the city becomes WiFi enabled, what happens to the city’s WiMax providers?
Source : WATBlog
Once the city is WiFi enabled, it will enable any user who has a WiFi enabled device to surf the web from any location in the city. Once he is connected, he will be able to move around in the city at his own will, without worrying about any wires. The project was only recently declared ‘technically feasible’ by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is BMC’s consultant for their e-governance project too. The project, which has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years, was initially limited to the BMC Headquarters, ward offices, zonal offices and the civic hospitals.
The BMC plans to invite tenders in a month’s time for the project. According to the plan, BMC will only be responsible to erect the towers and the infrastructure required for the technology. The rest will be done by the service providers, who in turn will give a part of their profits to BMC. The details of the profit share have not been finalized yet. Revenue will be generated from the subscribers, although BMC maintains that this will be cheaper than other such services.
BMC is following Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal corporation who have planned the same in their area and the tenders for the same have already been floated. Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner for the BMC was quoted:
In Mumbai, it will be a larger scheme (compared to Pimpri-Chinchwad) as the city covers an area of 437 sq km, almost three times greater than PCMC that is just 171 sq km. We do not have to spend anything, but we only have to set up the towers. The service providers will put in the money and some part of the profits they make will be given to the BMC”
The BMC hopes to speed up its e-governance initiative with this move. Senior Officials from the governing body said that such a network would make it easy for the citizens to communicate with each other and the civic body, thus making communications easier and processing time shorter. Cyber experts, on the other hand, see this move from a different perspective. According to them, this would place Mumbai among the top technologically advanced cities in the world.
If the plan does indeed go through, it would be interesting to see how it would be implemented. According to me, it would really help if there was a single system of managing the service. Something on the lines of Mobile Recharge coupons should be implemented, wherein each user will have his own account and he is charged as per usage. We will also need to wait and see what speeds would be implemented along with the service.
But wait, if the city becomes WiFi enabled, what happens to the city’s WiMax providers?
Source : WATBlog
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Growth of cyber cafes declining sharply
NEW DELHI: The growth of cyber cafes, which are the largest source of Internet access in India, is declining sharply. According to a CII-IMRB Broadband report, the number of cyber cafes, which was growing at almost 60% in 2004 and 2005, has fallen to almost 20% in 2008.
There are 1,80,000 cyber cafes in the country. Large industry players attribute the decline to lack of subsidy and support provided by the government coupled with increased security concerns and harassment of cyber cafe owners.
Commenting on the issue, Sify president of consumer infrastructure Naresh Ajwani said, “We have also seen a drop in our conversion rates from non-branded cyber cafes into branded Sify I-way cafes.” Sify has around 3,000 I-way cafes, of which many have been conversions from non-branded cyber cafes.
Ridiculously, in some cities like Pune, to open a cyber cafe, one has to take permissions from a municipal health department, just because cyber has got a ‘cafe’ suffixed to it. (The literal meaning of a cafe is a place to have coffee and snacks). Moreover, across the country, the local police has to provide a no objection certificate in order to open a cyber cafe. Experts say that drastic decline of cyber cafes is due to harassment that owners face at the hands of the local police.
According to the CII-IMRB report, the rate of growth in cyber cafes was at its peak in the country at about 85% in 2002. Though it was largely attributable to a small base of about 50,000 cafes in 2003, the growth was still hovering around 60% till 2004. The cyber cafe industry grew at about 57% in 2004. But by 2006 the growth fell to about 20% and it has till now failed to pick up steam.
Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) president Rajesh Charria says, “The decline in growth has been due to the extra-strict laws of maintaining a log of all sites visited by a customer alongwith a copy of his or her id proof. While there should be no compromise with security, the government should make a central law for cafes and remove local police interference. The government’s laws are discriminatory towards cyber cafes vis-a-vis PCOs.”
Meanwhile, cafe owners say that they have little control over the type of emails sent by their customers. There is also no support provided by the government in educating customers on internet usage. “We can provide free internet awareness programmes in lean hours to citizens in rural or urban areas provided we get a subsidy from the government,” adds Mr Ajwani of Sify.
According to another report by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India), out of the 46 million web users, college and school students account for maximum use of web in the country at 21%. Students are also the maximum users of web in the country through cyber cafes given the high cost of PCs. The internet users have crossed 52 million in 2007-08, according to MAIT.
Not surprisingly, cyber cafes emerge as the largest access point for internet access at 36% followed by home (30%) and office (25%). But, lackadaisical attitude from the government towards growth of cyber cafes is impeding the broadband growth.
There are 1,80,000 cyber cafes in the country. Large industry players attribute the decline to lack of subsidy and support provided by the government coupled with increased security concerns and harassment of cyber cafe owners.
Commenting on the issue, Sify president of consumer infrastructure Naresh Ajwani said, “We have also seen a drop in our conversion rates from non-branded cyber cafes into branded Sify I-way cafes.” Sify has around 3,000 I-way cafes, of which many have been conversions from non-branded cyber cafes.
Ridiculously, in some cities like Pune, to open a cyber cafe, one has to take permissions from a municipal health department, just because cyber has got a ‘cafe’ suffixed to it. (The literal meaning of a cafe is a place to have coffee and snacks). Moreover, across the country, the local police has to provide a no objection certificate in order to open a cyber cafe. Experts say that drastic decline of cyber cafes is due to harassment that owners face at the hands of the local police.
According to the CII-IMRB report, the rate of growth in cyber cafes was at its peak in the country at about 85% in 2002. Though it was largely attributable to a small base of about 50,000 cafes in 2003, the growth was still hovering around 60% till 2004. The cyber cafe industry grew at about 57% in 2004. But by 2006 the growth fell to about 20% and it has till now failed to pick up steam.
Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) president Rajesh Charria says, “The decline in growth has been due to the extra-strict laws of maintaining a log of all sites visited by a customer alongwith a copy of his or her id proof. While there should be no compromise with security, the government should make a central law for cafes and remove local police interference. The government’s laws are discriminatory towards cyber cafes vis-a-vis PCOs.”
Meanwhile, cafe owners say that they have little control over the type of emails sent by their customers. There is also no support provided by the government in educating customers on internet usage. “We can provide free internet awareness programmes in lean hours to citizens in rural or urban areas provided we get a subsidy from the government,” adds Mr Ajwani of Sify.
According to another report by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India), out of the 46 million web users, college and school students account for maximum use of web in the country at 21%. Students are also the maximum users of web in the country through cyber cafes given the high cost of PCs. The internet users have crossed 52 million in 2007-08, according to MAIT.
Not surprisingly, cyber cafes emerge as the largest access point for internet access at 36% followed by home (30%) and office (25%). But, lackadaisical attitude from the government towards growth of cyber cafes is impeding the broadband growth.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Trai hits out at DoT, now over WiMax
NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator Trai has slammed the communications ministry for being secretive about the amount of wireless broadband (WiMAX) spectrum that is currently available in the country.
Trai has also accused the Department of Telecom (DoT) of keeping it in the dark, both on the availability of WiMAX spectrum as well as on the government’s efforts to get other users such as the department of space to vacate these radio frequencies.The regulator has also demanded that the government put in place a transparent and efficient spectrum management regime.
“The results of the efforts made by the Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC wing of the DoT) to get the required spectrum bands vacated/re-farmed from the incumbents are not available in the public domain. The Authority has time and again emphasized that in the times to come, the spectrum will become the most valuable and scarce resource as with the advent of new data centric applications, its demand will increase and there will be competitive users for the same band of spectrum. Therefore, there is a need to have a transparent, predictable and efficient spectrum management system for allocation and pricing of the spectrum,” Trai said in its communication to the DoT.
Trai has also point blank told the DoT that even as other countries had rolled out WiMAX services, the process in India had been delayed ‘due to uncertainty in the spectrum allocation policies’.
“Unless immediate action is taken for vacation of spectrum and its further allotment is done in a time bound manner with the clear-cut roadmap, little progress will be made in term of penetration of wireless broadband in the country,” the regulator warned.
Trai has also directed the DoT to work with the Department of Space (DoS) to get 100 MHz for broadband wireless spectrum vacated urgently in the 3.4 - 3.6 GHz band for wireless broadband services.
At the same time, the authority also took a dig at the DoT and said: “The Authority does not have any information regarding the efforts made by the DoT/WPC to coordinate with the DoS for spectrum in this band, and also results of the study done to find solution to the interference problem in this band between the satellite and terrestrial wireless services.”
Importantly, Trai has also decided not to make any recommendation for 3.4-3.6 GHz frequency bands unless the DoT assess the compatibility of satellite based services with WiMAX services in a transparent manner.
Again, in the case of 2.5 to 2.69 GHz frequency bands, Trai has asked the DoT to coordinate with the DoS and ascertain the feasibility of vacation of additional spectrum in this band within the next 45 days.
Trai has also accused the Department of Telecom (DoT) of keeping it in the dark, both on the availability of WiMAX spectrum as well as on the government’s efforts to get other users such as the department of space to vacate these radio frequencies.The regulator has also demanded that the government put in place a transparent and efficient spectrum management regime.
“The results of the efforts made by the Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC wing of the DoT) to get the required spectrum bands vacated/re-farmed from the incumbents are not available in the public domain. The Authority has time and again emphasized that in the times to come, the spectrum will become the most valuable and scarce resource as with the advent of new data centric applications, its demand will increase and there will be competitive users for the same band of spectrum. Therefore, there is a need to have a transparent, predictable and efficient spectrum management system for allocation and pricing of the spectrum,” Trai said in its communication to the DoT.
Trai has also point blank told the DoT that even as other countries had rolled out WiMAX services, the process in India had been delayed ‘due to uncertainty in the spectrum allocation policies’.
“Unless immediate action is taken for vacation of spectrum and its further allotment is done in a time bound manner with the clear-cut roadmap, little progress will be made in term of penetration of wireless broadband in the country,” the regulator warned.
Trai has also directed the DoT to work with the Department of Space (DoS) to get 100 MHz for broadband wireless spectrum vacated urgently in the 3.4 - 3.6 GHz band for wireless broadband services.
At the same time, the authority also took a dig at the DoT and said: “The Authority does not have any information regarding the efforts made by the DoT/WPC to coordinate with the DoS for spectrum in this band, and also results of the study done to find solution to the interference problem in this band between the satellite and terrestrial wireless services.”
Importantly, Trai has also decided not to make any recommendation for 3.4-3.6 GHz frequency bands unless the DoT assess the compatibility of satellite based services with WiMAX services in a transparent manner.
Again, in the case of 2.5 to 2.69 GHz frequency bands, Trai has asked the DoT to coordinate with the DoS and ascertain the feasibility of vacation of additional spectrum in this band within the next 45 days.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Indian Railways to provide internet service in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian Railways is set to join the bandwagon of internet providers in Kerala with a special provision for those browsing education sites.
The Railways is providing broadband internet connection in the state through the Railtel Corporation of India Ltd. The biggest incentive for those taking the net service of Indian Railways is that they can download education material free.
A Seshagiri Rao, executive director (southern region) of Railtel, said Railtel would provide the service through cable operators who have connectivity across the state.
"The internet service would become operational in the next two to three months," said Rao, who was in the city.
Railtel, which manages the communication sector of Indian Railways, has laid more than 38,000 km of optical fibre cable across the country, which would be the backbone for providing broadband connectivity in the state.
"Our network is such that every railway station in the country can be turned into a source for education centres. But we have decided to provide broadband connectivity to the people through cable operators. The biggest advantage for those using our connectivity is that they would get unlimited download in matters regarding education," said Rao.
Towards this, Railtel has finalized a tie-up with the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore where they have ready more than 6,000 hours of lectures by the faculty.
"The biggest advantage of Indian Railways internet is that downloading of education material will be at a speed ranging from 2 mpbs to 30 mpbs," added Rao.
Source : EconomicTimes
The Railways is providing broadband internet connection in the state through the Railtel Corporation of India Ltd. The biggest incentive for those taking the net service of Indian Railways is that they can download education material free.
A Seshagiri Rao, executive director (southern region) of Railtel, said Railtel would provide the service through cable operators who have connectivity across the state.
"The internet service would become operational in the next two to three months," said Rao, who was in the city.
Railtel, which manages the communication sector of Indian Railways, has laid more than 38,000 km of optical fibre cable across the country, which would be the backbone for providing broadband connectivity in the state.
"Our network is such that every railway station in the country can be turned into a source for education centres. But we have decided to provide broadband connectivity to the people through cable operators. The biggest advantage for those using our connectivity is that they would get unlimited download in matters regarding education," said Rao.
Towards this, Railtel has finalized a tie-up with the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore where they have ready more than 6,000 hours of lectures by the faculty.
"The biggest advantage of Indian Railways internet is that downloading of education material will be at a speed ranging from 2 mpbs to 30 mpbs," added Rao.
Source : EconomicTimes
Longest broadband terrestrial education grid launched
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar inaugurated the country's longest broadband terrestrial education grid connecting the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM-Kerala) and Nagaland University here on Saturday.
Nagaland Education Minister Shürhozelie appeared on the screen along with a Christian priest offering prayers as Aiyar switched on the button of the grid in the presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby at the IIITM-K campus, Technopark.
Earlier, talking to reporters, vice-chancellor of Nagaland University, K. Kannan said, ''This is the first phase and students of the School of Engineering and Technology in Nagaland would be able to listen live and recorded lectures from the IIITM-K campus."
The transmission of lectures through 3800- km long link of the RailTel Corporation of India was successfully held in the trial run that started early this month.
"A new optical fibre link has been laid from the Thiruvananthapuram railway stations to our campus and a similar one has been laid from the Dimapur railway station to the campus of the Engineering college in Nagaland," said K.R.Srivathsan, director of IIITM-K.
The project was completed with the help of teachers of various IITs and Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore.
''Lectures on five engineering disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electronics, electrical and computer science would be available for the students of the engineering college in Nagaland through the link. Apart from this, there would be live lectures broadcast from the IITM-K campus here to the students there," said Mangala Sunder Krishnan, professor at the IIT Madras.
In the second phase of this connectivity, using the same link, several premier institutions and universities of the country would be connected to Nagaland to enhance education programmes at all levels, Kannan added.
Source : EconomicTimes
Nagaland Education Minister Shürhozelie appeared on the screen along with a Christian priest offering prayers as Aiyar switched on the button of the grid in the presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby at the IIITM-K campus, Technopark.
Earlier, talking to reporters, vice-chancellor of Nagaland University, K. Kannan said, ''This is the first phase and students of the School of Engineering and Technology in Nagaland would be able to listen live and recorded lectures from the IIITM-K campus."
The transmission of lectures through 3800- km long link of the RailTel Corporation of India was successfully held in the trial run that started early this month.
"A new optical fibre link has been laid from the Thiruvananthapuram railway stations to our campus and a similar one has been laid from the Dimapur railway station to the campus of the Engineering college in Nagaland," said K.R.Srivathsan, director of IIITM-K.
The project was completed with the help of teachers of various IITs and Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore.
''Lectures on five engineering disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electronics, electrical and computer science would be available for the students of the engineering college in Nagaland through the link. Apart from this, there would be live lectures broadcast from the IITM-K campus here to the students there," said Mangala Sunder Krishnan, professor at the IIT Madras.
In the second phase of this connectivity, using the same link, several premier institutions and universities of the country would be connected to Nagaland to enhance education programmes at all levels, Kannan added.
Source : EconomicTimes
BSNL Plans WiMax Testing In Vizag. BSNL, MTNL To Get 3G Spectrum
BSNL has plans to test WiMax in Vizag, along with Pune and Ahmedabad, reports The Hindu. In the recent times, broadband usage in Vizag has risen tremendously, and this new initiative, said Mr. G.V Ramakrishna, Deputy General Manager, BSNL, will help in meeting the rising demand for the broadband access.
In an interview, Mr. G.V Ramakrishna said,
In another news the Department of Telecommunication has decided to allocate one block of 3G spectrum to state owned carriers BSNL and MTNL , in the circles where they operate respectively, reports Business Standard. The spectrum will be allocated to these players at a price equivalent to the highest bid received for that circle.
A reserve price has been set up for different circles. The reserve price for Delhi, Mumbai and Category ‘A’ circles is Rs.160. And the reserve price for Category ‘B’ and ‘C’ circles is set at Rs. 80 crores and Rs.30 crores respectively.
Both of these things have been pending for ages now. I just hope we can get uniform and ubiquitous Internet connectivity via WiMax and my cell carrier finally offers me blazing fast downloads of Youtube videos.
Source : WatBlog
In an interview, Mr. G.V Ramakrishna said,
“Fourteen locations have been identified, including the special economic zone at Atchyuthapuram, to provide the facility. The cell towers will be used to install the equipment which will be arriving here by September-end. WiMax will take care of the demand for new broadband connections”
In another news the Department of Telecommunication has decided to allocate one block of 3G spectrum to state owned carriers BSNL and MTNL , in the circles where they operate respectively, reports Business Standard. The spectrum will be allocated to these players at a price equivalent to the highest bid received for that circle.
A reserve price has been set up for different circles. The reserve price for Delhi, Mumbai and Category ‘A’ circles is Rs.160. And the reserve price for Category ‘B’ and ‘C’ circles is set at Rs. 80 crores and Rs.30 crores respectively.
Both of these things have been pending for ages now. I just hope we can get uniform and ubiquitous Internet connectivity via WiMax and my cell carrier finally offers me blazing fast downloads of Youtube videos.
Source : WatBlog
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Ministry may reject TRAI draft on WiMAX too
After turning down TRAI’s recommendations on 3G and deciding to allow foreign players, the communication ministry now plans to throw out the regulator’s recommendations on Broadband Wirelss (also called WiMAX) spectrum auctions, too, and impose its own rules.
While TRAI had said that ISPs, who are successful in the broadband wireless (BWA) auctions, be given licences for five years, the Department of Telecom (DoT) wants to raise this time frame to 15 years. Again, TRAI had said BWA or WiMAX spectrum should be auctioned through a one-stage sealed bid for every circle, but the DoT plans to have a simultaneous ascending e-auction model instead.
Importantly, the DoT’s decision to double the reserve price for the 3G spectrum will have a direct impact on the WiMAX auctions. This is because; the reserve price for the WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) spectrum auction is likely to be set at fourth 3G spectrum price.
This implies, when the policy is announced, the reserve price for BWA auctions is set to be double of that prescribed by TRAI, which is yet another deviation from the regulator’s recommendations.
ET has also learnt that the DoT is set to make further changes to TRAI’s recommendations for BWA spectrum issues. For instance, while TRAI has said that each player must get WiMAX spectrum in contiguous blocks of 15 MHz each in the 3.3 - 3.4 GHz and 3.4 - 3.6 GHz bands, the DoT has a completely different plan in mind: “As per present estimate of availability of spectrum four blocks each of 10 MHz in the 2.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz to be allocated,’ the DoT note on the issue said.
On the auction procedure, the note said: “In place of the above (TRAI’s suggestion of a one-stage sealed bid), it is proposed to have a controlled simultaneously e-auction as similar to that in the case of 3G spectrum. Further, here also when the number of bidders left is equal to the number of blocks of spectrum being auctioned, in any service area, the auction will end.
All the bidders will have to match the bid of the highest bidder. In case they do not match, then that block would be offered to the next highest bidder at the highest bid price. If any block is left vacant, then the block would be re-auctioned”.
Source : EconomicTimes
While TRAI had said that ISPs, who are successful in the broadband wireless (BWA) auctions, be given licences for five years, the Department of Telecom (DoT) wants to raise this time frame to 15 years. Again, TRAI had said BWA or WiMAX spectrum should be auctioned through a one-stage sealed bid for every circle, but the DoT plans to have a simultaneous ascending e-auction model instead.
Importantly, the DoT’s decision to double the reserve price for the 3G spectrum will have a direct impact on the WiMAX auctions. This is because; the reserve price for the WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) spectrum auction is likely to be set at fourth 3G spectrum price.
This implies, when the policy is announced, the reserve price for BWA auctions is set to be double of that prescribed by TRAI, which is yet another deviation from the regulator’s recommendations.
ET has also learnt that the DoT is set to make further changes to TRAI’s recommendations for BWA spectrum issues. For instance, while TRAI has said that each player must get WiMAX spectrum in contiguous blocks of 15 MHz each in the 3.3 - 3.4 GHz and 3.4 - 3.6 GHz bands, the DoT has a completely different plan in mind: “As per present estimate of availability of spectrum four blocks each of 10 MHz in the 2.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz to be allocated,’ the DoT note on the issue said.
On the auction procedure, the note said: “In place of the above (TRAI’s suggestion of a one-stage sealed bid), it is proposed to have a controlled simultaneously e-auction as similar to that in the case of 3G spectrum. Further, here also when the number of bidders left is equal to the number of blocks of spectrum being auctioned, in any service area, the auction will end.
All the bidders will have to match the bid of the highest bidder. In case they do not match, then that block would be offered to the next highest bidder at the highest bid price. If any block is left vacant, then the block would be re-auctioned”.
Source : EconomicTimes
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Telecom companies waiting to launch Wi-max facilities in India
With the government set to announce guidelines for new broadband services, including Wi-Max, the industry has said that market friendly tariffs and a clear spectrum policy should form the bedrock of this much awaited technology to obtain its full benefit.
Once the government rolls out the framework on Wi-Max, this standard-based technology will enable delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternate to cable and DSL and also augment the country's flagship programmes of telemedicine, e-governance and e-education in rural areas.
"India has tremendous potential for Wi-Max. Improved spectrum options, low cost end user devices and market friendly tariffs can make Wi-Max a success", says Tata Communications VP, (Planning - Broadband and Retail Business) Prateek Pashine.
The company has already launched Wi-Max facility in various Indian cities and intends to enter another 115 enterprise and 15 retail cities by March 2009. "We are looking forward to hear from the government," Pashine added.
"The key reason for Wi-Max not taking off in the country is the absence of a policy decision on spectrum for operating. A clarity on this issue will help us to address the growth opportunity offered by the rural areas of the country", T V Sriram, VP-Technology, Bharti Airtel says.
The permission for mobility in the Wi-Max service will also play a role in determining the future of Wi-MAX services in the country, Sriram noted. Explaining the service providers' woes, Manesh Patel, Partner, Telecom Industry Practice, Ernst and Young says, "The companies that are building Wi-Max networks are doing so within narrow frequency bands- much less than what is recommended by the Wi-Max forum."
At present, these service providers are dependent on the incumbent operators for giving them the last-mile connectivity, he adds. Analysts, however, say that although the Wi-Max was traditionally focused on connecting computers to the internet, high cost of customer premise equipment also needs to be addressed.
The Wi-MAX has a communication range of up to 30 miles and sometimes it is enough to cover an entire city, Patel says. Wi-MAX also offers data speed that is around 10-30 times faster than 3G.
One of the equipment manufacturers for Wi-MAX technology, Motorola has recently said that it is planning to bid for BSNL's urban Wi-MAX project. With its 1.2 billion people, India is filled with opportunities and challenges for tech companies. Consumers are eager to stay connected, snapping up 8 million mobile phones per month, Pashine says stressing for an intrusive Wi-Max connectivity in the country.
Source : EconomicTimes
Once the government rolls out the framework on Wi-Max, this standard-based technology will enable delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternate to cable and DSL and also augment the country's flagship programmes of telemedicine, e-governance and e-education in rural areas.
"India has tremendous potential for Wi-Max. Improved spectrum options, low cost end user devices and market friendly tariffs can make Wi-Max a success", says Tata Communications VP, (Planning - Broadband and Retail Business) Prateek Pashine.
The company has already launched Wi-Max facility in various Indian cities and intends to enter another 115 enterprise and 15 retail cities by March 2009. "We are looking forward to hear from the government," Pashine added.
"The key reason for Wi-Max not taking off in the country is the absence of a policy decision on spectrum for operating. A clarity on this issue will help us to address the growth opportunity offered by the rural areas of the country", T V Sriram, VP-Technology, Bharti Airtel says.
The permission for mobility in the Wi-Max service will also play a role in determining the future of Wi-MAX services in the country, Sriram noted. Explaining the service providers' woes, Manesh Patel, Partner, Telecom Industry Practice, Ernst and Young says, "The companies that are building Wi-Max networks are doing so within narrow frequency bands- much less than what is recommended by the Wi-Max forum."
At present, these service providers are dependent on the incumbent operators for giving them the last-mile connectivity, he adds. Analysts, however, say that although the Wi-Max was traditionally focused on connecting computers to the internet, high cost of customer premise equipment also needs to be addressed.
The Wi-MAX has a communication range of up to 30 miles and sometimes it is enough to cover an entire city, Patel says. Wi-MAX also offers data speed that is around 10-30 times faster than 3G.
One of the equipment manufacturers for Wi-MAX technology, Motorola has recently said that it is planning to bid for BSNL's urban Wi-MAX project. With its 1.2 billion people, India is filled with opportunities and challenges for tech companies. Consumers are eager to stay connected, snapping up 8 million mobile phones per month, Pashine says stressing for an intrusive Wi-Max connectivity in the country.
Source : EconomicTimes
Friday, July 4, 2008
Govt to announce 3G, Wimax guidelines soon
The government said on Friday guidelines on 3G and Wimax will be out in a week and it is separately looking at third party solution to address security concerns attached to accessing Blackberry network.
"Broad guidelines for 3G have been devised and they need some inputs from the Finance Ministry and after that the guidelines will be sent to the Telecom Commission and I expect the norms to be announced within a week," Telecom Minister A Raja said on the sidelines of a function today.
He said the consultation with the Finance Ministry is necessary as the ministry has a say in the Telecom Commission, the policy making wing of the Department of Telecom.
After the consultation is over, the guidelines would be sent to the Telecom Commission for notification.
On the Blackberry issue, Raja said, "We cannot throw (out) Blackberry services but the question is how to keep this service, while taking care of security measures at the same time. We do feel security measures can be taken care of with wider consultations."
Asked where the discussion on security measures with Blackberry licensor RIM was headed, Raja said: "They are offering some solution. Notwithstanding their solutions we are finding other solutions from other companies."
Source: EconomicTimes
"Broad guidelines for 3G have been devised and they need some inputs from the Finance Ministry and after that the guidelines will be sent to the Telecom Commission and I expect the norms to be announced within a week," Telecom Minister A Raja said on the sidelines of a function today.
He said the consultation with the Finance Ministry is necessary as the ministry has a say in the Telecom Commission, the policy making wing of the Department of Telecom.
After the consultation is over, the guidelines would be sent to the Telecom Commission for notification.
On the Blackberry issue, Raja said, "We cannot throw (out) Blackberry services but the question is how to keep this service, while taking care of security measures at the same time. We do feel security measures can be taken care of with wider consultations."
Asked where the discussion on security measures with Blackberry licensor RIM was headed, Raja said: "They are offering some solution. Notwithstanding their solutions we are finding other solutions from other companies."
Source: EconomicTimes
India to have 15.8 mn WiMAX users by 2012: Springboard
India will be the leading market for WiMAX in the Asia pacific and is expected to have 15.8 million WiMAX subscribers by 2012.
With this, India will represent 46.7% of total subscribers in Asia-Pacific and 35.7% of revenues from the region, analyst firm Springboard Research said in a report released on Thursday. It must, however, be pointed out that India had only 3.4 million broadband subscribers as on January 2008, far short of the government’s target of 9 million.
India’s market leadership will be enhanced by support from the government, ambitious investment plans by players like BSNL and Tata Communications, and improvement in fixedline broadband infrastructure, the report explains.
“The next couple of years will be critical for WiMAX growth in Asia Pacific, and during that time, we are expecting services to be available for end users in over 10 countries,” said Springboard research director Bryan Wang.
According to the report, revenues from WiMAX services in Asia Pacific region will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 148% to reach an estimated $5.46 billion by 2012 compared to $58 million in 2007. The chunk of the revenues will be sourced from mobile WiMAX services during the forecast period, the report adds.
“The majority of WiMAX subscribers will be from Korea, Pakistan, India and Australia. At the same time, billions of dollars of investment is going to be spent on WiMAX infrastructures over the next five years, which also creates a big potential market for telecom equipment manufacturers. We see tremendous potential for WiMAX deployment in many emerging markets in the region,” Mr Wang added.
Source : EconomicTimes
With this, India will represent 46.7% of total subscribers in Asia-Pacific and 35.7% of revenues from the region, analyst firm Springboard Research said in a report released on Thursday. It must, however, be pointed out that India had only 3.4 million broadband subscribers as on January 2008, far short of the government’s target of 9 million.
India’s market leadership will be enhanced by support from the government, ambitious investment plans by players like BSNL and Tata Communications, and improvement in fixedline broadband infrastructure, the report explains.
“The next couple of years will be critical for WiMAX growth in Asia Pacific, and during that time, we are expecting services to be available for end users in over 10 countries,” said Springboard research director Bryan Wang.
According to the report, revenues from WiMAX services in Asia Pacific region will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 148% to reach an estimated $5.46 billion by 2012 compared to $58 million in 2007. The chunk of the revenues will be sourced from mobile WiMAX services during the forecast period, the report adds.
“The majority of WiMAX subscribers will be from Korea, Pakistan, India and Australia. At the same time, billions of dollars of investment is going to be spent on WiMAX infrastructures over the next five years, which also creates a big potential market for telecom equipment manufacturers. We see tremendous potential for WiMAX deployment in many emerging markets in the region,” Mr Wang added.
Source : EconomicTimes
Thursday, July 3, 2008
High 3G price spoils ISPs' WiMAX dream
NEW DELHI: The government’s decision to double the reserve price for the 3G spectrum auctions spells bad news for many of the country’s stand-alone Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
This is because, the reserve price for the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) spectrum auction is likely to be set to be a fourth of that for 3G spectrum.
Put simply, this implies that reserve price for an ISP who applies for pan-India WiMAX spectrum will be over Rs 550 crore.
The final price could be several multiples of this depending on the outcome of the auction. ISPs say that a higher reserve price would create a scenario where they would not be able to enter a bidding war with telcos, who too are keen to launch WiMAX services.
Besides, this also implies that the reserve price for a telco, who wants to bid for both WiMAX and 3G radio frequencies will be about Rs 2,800 crore.
Confronted with this grin reality, the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), the body representing all stand alone ISPs in the country, will soon approach sector regulator TRAI demanding that their members be charged only 25% of the highest bid that a telco makes for WiMAX spectrum in that particular circle during the auction.
“We will tell TRAI that in order to have a competitive market, standalone ISPs must be charged a maximum of 25% of the highest bid that a telco makes for WiMAX spectrum. We will also seek that a few spectrum slots be reserved for ISPs during the WiMAX auction. This is perhaps the only way that government can address the dismal broadband penetration in the country. We (ISPs) will offer a much needed competition to telcos in the WiMAX space, without which they will not roll-out these services,” ISPAI president Rajahs Charier told ET.
Sources say that the DoT wants the WiMax launch be initially restricted to only three players who will operate this service in the 2.5 GHz frequency band where one of the slots is reserved for state-owned BSNL/MTNL.
This contradicts the recommendations of telecom regulator TRAI which had suggested that wireless broadband be rolled out in 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.4-3.6 Ghz frequencies and up to 13 players be allocated spectrum to offer WiMax services.
At the same time, the DoT also wants to allot WiMAX spectrum to other service providers in the frequencies recommended by TRAI at a later stage after compatibility is established.
While WiMAX is still an evolving technology, it is still considered a threat to third generation mobile services. As per global industry experience, WiMax offers data speeds that are 10-30 times faster than 3G.
To put this in perspective, the data speeds of 3G networks are over five times faster than those offered by 2G cellular networks that telcos in India currently use
Source : EconomicTimes
This is because, the reserve price for the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) spectrum auction is likely to be set to be a fourth of that for 3G spectrum.
Put simply, this implies that reserve price for an ISP who applies for pan-India WiMAX spectrum will be over Rs 550 crore.
The final price could be several multiples of this depending on the outcome of the auction. ISPs say that a higher reserve price would create a scenario where they would not be able to enter a bidding war with telcos, who too are keen to launch WiMAX services.
Besides, this also implies that the reserve price for a telco, who wants to bid for both WiMAX and 3G radio frequencies will be about Rs 2,800 crore.
Confronted with this grin reality, the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), the body representing all stand alone ISPs in the country, will soon approach sector regulator TRAI demanding that their members be charged only 25% of the highest bid that a telco makes for WiMAX spectrum in that particular circle during the auction.
“We will tell TRAI that in order to have a competitive market, standalone ISPs must be charged a maximum of 25% of the highest bid that a telco makes for WiMAX spectrum. We will also seek that a few spectrum slots be reserved for ISPs during the WiMAX auction. This is perhaps the only way that government can address the dismal broadband penetration in the country. We (ISPs) will offer a much needed competition to telcos in the WiMAX space, without which they will not roll-out these services,” ISPAI president Rajahs Charier told ET.
Sources say that the DoT wants the WiMax launch be initially restricted to only three players who will operate this service in the 2.5 GHz frequency band where one of the slots is reserved for state-owned BSNL/MTNL.
This contradicts the recommendations of telecom regulator TRAI which had suggested that wireless broadband be rolled out in 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.4-3.6 Ghz frequencies and up to 13 players be allocated spectrum to offer WiMax services.
At the same time, the DoT also wants to allot WiMAX spectrum to other service providers in the frequencies recommended by TRAI at a later stage after compatibility is established.
While WiMAX is still an evolving technology, it is still considered a threat to third generation mobile services. As per global industry experience, WiMax offers data speeds that are 10-30 times faster than 3G.
To put this in perspective, the data speeds of 3G networks are over five times faster than those offered by 2G cellular networks that telcos in India currently use
Source : EconomicTimes
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