Technology HILE 2007 was declared Rolling-out as the ‘Year of Broadband’ in India, it seems that W2008 will in all probability go down as the ‘Year of WiMax.’ The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) technology has got a major boost in India this year, with leading WiMax telecommunication service providers planning nationwide roll-outs of WiMax. All the leading telecom companies have unveiled ambitious plans for their WiMax roll-outs. They include state- owned BSNL and MTNL, and private sector giants including Bharti Airtel, Tata Networks Communications, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Aircel, and Sify. India is rapidly emerging as a major ‘hot spot’ for WiMax and WiFi networks, Tata Communications recently rolled out what is billed as one of the world’s thanks to growing laptop sales and rising broadband penetration. Leading largest commercial deployments of WiMax; it aims to cover 115 cities by KEEPING IN TOUCH: WiFi enables telecom fi rms to provide connectivity to remote areas telecommunication service providers are going in for nationwide roll-outs of 2009. The company has invested about $100 million in the project, which will be gear and services (excluding laptops, WiMax systems, reports Aradhana. raised to $500 million over the next four handsets, and chipsets) in India will top years as it approaches its target of having WiMax is the $890 million by 2011-12, at a 36 per cent 50 million subscribers in India. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) Says Prateek Pashine, in-charge of best solution for from 2008. the broadband and retail business at WiFi, which is also being used in rural Tata Communications: “We are strongly providing wireless areas, enables telecom fi rms to provide focusing on WiMax to provide last-mile broadband connectivity to remote areas, including access to our customers. In fact for us villages that are not in the traditional WiMax technology is not experimental, connectivity. The telecommunication network. it’s oven-hot.” WiMax is expected to see a slow Public sector telecommunications focus today is on uptake in India until next year; but by 2011, major BSNL has also announced plans for the technology is expected to rope in over rolling out WiMax technology. According fuelling the demand 6.9 million subscribers. to Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing Private operators have their initia- director, BSNL, the company plans to for broadband. tives ready for taking the technology to invest $750 million to provide mobile their customers. Bharti Airtel, which was wireless solutions to its customers. one of the fi rst operators to invest in the “We are aiming for 50,000 connec- technology, is now conducting pilots for tions in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra operators including Bharti Airtel, Idea, retail deployment. Pradesh in 2008, and 500,000 in each of Aircel, Reliance, MTNL and Sify are Says T V Sriram, vice-president, these states by 2010,” he points out. BSNL already offering WiMax service in various technology, Bharti Airtel: “We have been will roll-out WiMax mostly in urban areas, formats. closely following WiMax technology since aiming to serve 70 cities this year. “We Says A Sethuraman, chief marketing early 2003 and started evaluating it the had tested 802.16d (a technology standard offi cer, Alcatel-Lucent India: “WiMax is following year for catering to our last-mile for fi xed WiMax deployments) equipment, the best solution for providing wireless connectivity requirements of enterprise but decided, unlike some competitors, to broadband connectivity. The focus of all customers. We conducted fi eld trials to go with 802.16e, which promises mobility, operators today is on fuelling the demand prove the technology deliverables and better performance, and is more suited for for broadband.” subsequently completed commercial the retail business.” The market for WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) deployment in 2007 for fi xed WiMax.” Ultimately, BSNL plans to provide and WiMax systems in India is certainly Idea Cellular, part of the Aditya Birla two million WiMax connections as part promising. According to a study by Tonse group, and one of the leading telecom of its obligation under government Telecom, a Bangalore-based telecommu- operators, is also investing in WiMax, policy to provide nine million broadband nication research, consulting and advisory primarily focusing on the fi xed part. connections by 2010. Other leading outfi t, the market for WiFi networking The other operator actively looking at 32 33 TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY the cost of CPEs and availability of dual mode CPEs will play an important role in WiMax uptake,” notes Singh. Though WiMax is meant primarily as a data service, industry analysts admit that the killer application for WiMax will be voice. Though the CPEs available currently in the market only provide data services, experts admit that it is only a matter of adding a voice chip to it. Says Ramdev Sharma, chief technology offi cer, Huawei India: “WiMax emanates from the data network technology domain. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the many applications of WiMax, unlike the conventional 2G networks, that support TDM (time-division multiplexing) voice.” According to him, voice remains a major revenue stream for telecom opera- tors. However, as research studies predict, this trend might reverse in the next few years when voice may be offered as a SETTING UP HOTSPOTS: Telecommunication majors are busy setting up hotspots around the country freebie in a multimedia service package. The WiFi market is also doing well. BSNL is currently in the process of setting currently awaiting allocation of spectrum According to an analyst, though the WiFi up 300 hotspots across the country in that will allow companies to launch market is in its infancy in India, hotspot libraries, hotels, hospitals etc. There are high-end services that will spur demand deployments are on the rise and seem to almost 700 WiFi hotspots across India at for their services. With the industry be driven by the demands of a growing present, including at airports, fast-food abuzz with activity, the market for Wi mobile community and workforce. Several joints and coffee shops. Max and WiFi appears set on the path of operators have set up WiFi hotspots. The telecommunication industry is high growth. ON AUTO SURF MODE: International telecom majors like Alcatel-Lucent are promoting WiMax technology in India WHAT IS WIMAX? WiMax is Reliance Communications, part successful include equipment availability, of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group. It is CPE (customer premises equipment) THE Worldwide Interoperability for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, while 802.16e refers to mobile WiMax. currently implementing a pilot project in We feel that kits (including indoor, portable, and Microwave Access (WiMax) threatens Inc), which is the world’s leading WiMax technology helps developing select cities across the country. “We are nomadic) at right price points, economies to do to conventional broadband internet professional association for the countries to leap-frog technologies and looking at launching permissible services WiMax increases of scale, performance, service capabilities – delivered through cables or accessed advancement of technology. offers the latest in telecommunication using WiMax technologies,” points out a and support. Of course, suffi cient quantum at WiFi hotspots – what cell phones did The IEEE has sets standards to defi ne services to consumers living in remote senior Reliance Communications execu- possibilities of of spectrum is critical for realising the retail to landline phones. devices that transmit data across areas, and not having access to tive. “We feel that WiMax increases possi- business model. “India is an under-served WiMax ensures access to wireless data distances. The smallest-scale network conventional copper networks. bilities of elimination of huge investments elimination of huge market for broadband and hence WiMax – and also voice, for that matter – over is a personal area network (PAN), Service providers can also offer on our networks.” investments on our will play a key role for improving broad- long distances. The WiMax protocol and the Bluetooth is a device that advanced broadband services including Aircel Business Solutions, part of the band penetration in the country,” he adds. has been designed to cover different best symbolises this. PAN – which is mobile internet, mobile TV and video Aircel group – which is owned by Maxis, a networks. Tarvinder Singh, head of marketing methods of data transmission, including IEEE 802.15 – connects devices up to gaming through WiMax networks. Malaysian conglomerate – was the fi rst to and product management (networks and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). 33-ft radius. WiMax got a boost recently after the launch WiMax services in India, in October enterprise), Motorola India, notes that the WiMax appeared in the tech landscape Next is local area network (LAN), which International Telecommunication Union, 2006. It has been providing WiMax success of WiMax will strongly depend in 2001, when the WiMax Forum was is IEEE 802.11; basically WiFi devices the global telecommunication regulator, services in select locations in Chennai and on two factors. One is the adoption of formed to promote the technology. that connect up to about 300-ft radius. included it in the IMT-2000 (Inter- Bangalore, and plans to cover over 125 notes P K Saji, vice-president, technology, standard WiMax band (the 3.3-3.8 GHz The forum defi ned WiMax as a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is national Mobile Telecommunications- cities gradually. Sify. “It would make sense for all European WiMax band). It will be the standards-based technology enabling WiMax service that covers areas the 2000) set of standards for third Sify, a leading provider of broadband operators to deploy at high potential areas. strongest global WiMax band, which delivery of last-mile wireless broadband size of a metropolis to be connected by generation wireless technology, services, offers solutions on 802.16d- For rural areas, it would be used as a most countries – including India – are likely access as an alternative to cable and devices (with a 30-mile radius).