Wi-Max-based broadband services are expected to boost India’s broadband penetration. Keeping in mind that broadband penetration in the country is low, the opportunity for operators to gain a significant number of subscribers through Wi-Max is substantial.

Any service provider with innovative service offerings, attractive devices and goto-market plans that maximise the utility offered by Wi-Max technology to pricesensitive Indian customers can use this ready and proven technology to rapidly gain market share.

In a market like India, where vast areas are underserved due to lack of wired infrastructure or suboptimal digital subscriber line connections (slow speeds), the best use of Wi-Max today is to deliver broadband connectivity to homes and businesses that have poor or no connectivity.

The Indian telecom sector operates in a volume-driven market. India is not only positioned to spur one of the world’s largest broadband wireless markets but also to support an ancillary ecosystem that will generate further employment, enhance development in semi-urban and rural areas, and lead towards actual sustainability. Wi-Max represents a win-win proposition, benefiting both network operators and subscribers.

With a population of more than 1 billion and a growing economy, India is a huge market for broadband and needs rapid deployment of such services, which will, in turn, accelerate GDP growth.

The demand for broadband connectivity from urban homes and small/medium businesses is growing rapidly and this cannot be met effectively by the existing wireline technologies. Wireless will be the dominant delivery mode for broadband services just as wireless now dominates voice services. Because of its true broadband performance, early availability and cost advantages, Wi-Max is best positioned to serve this huge Indian market.Several service providers have already acquired suitable spectrum licences to deploy wireless broadband services. WiMax is the first truly broadband technology available to meet Indian market needs.

However, India is facing problems with deploying Wi-Max. This is partly due to the government taking its time in allocating spectrum to system integrators. According to a news source, the globally used band for Wi-Max is 2.5 GHz-2.7 GHZ, but in India this band is locked for satellite-based mobile and broadcast applications such as national emergencies and natural disasters.

What are available are the 2.3 GHz2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands. These bands are good for trials only, but not for citywide and commercial deployment. The key Wi-Max players have asked the government to release higher band frequencies so that deployment can be made, but government officials are confused as to how much and at what price they should let go of the spectrum. On the other hand, the Ministry of Defence has certain frequency bands under its belt, which it is unwilling to give up for any price.

The problem in India is a common one.A scarce resource like spectrum, which is held by both the government as well as the military, will be allocated slowly over a short period of time. Due to India’s highly regulated spectrum market, people should not expect Wi-Max to mushroom all over the country any time soon.

Wi-Max is ideal for the rural environment where there is limited infrastructure in place. It delivers high speed connections, offers greater coverage and also costs less money. It can, therefore, help establish internet connectivity in the villages, where more than two-thirds of the country’s population lives with poor communication infrastructure. India could be a leader in the commercial implementation of Wi-Max if the government resolves the issue of spectrum allocation. The network deployment stage is considered one of the most important phases in the network life cycle.

Wi-Max’s role will vary, based on the service provider’s orientation. Service providers will take different approaches to deploying Wi-Max, just as they have with Wi-Fi. However, clear deployment patterns will evolve, in part based on whether the service provider is a local exchange carrier (LEC) (an incumbent facilitiesbased LEC owning an access network) or a CLEC/WISP (a relatively new nonfacilities-based competitive local exchange carrier, not owning any access network).

Wi-Max will be used as a wireless access technology and will be deployed in three significant ways:

  • For incumbent mobile wireless providers as a high speed data overlay for cellular networks;
  • For fixed wireless infrastructure providers as a standards-based interoperable network for underserved areas;
  • For CLECs and WISPs as a central office bypass to avoid using existing wired infrastructure.

    A key factor in determining which orientation is chosen will be driven by what the operator considers its major infrastructure and business assets. WiMax networks will be looked upon as potential last mile connectivity solutions as well as cost-efficient deployments vis? -vis traditional wired connectivity, more so as most places in India, especially in the rural sector, lack traditional telecom backbone infrastructure and some areas have poor optical networks.