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