WiMax : Mobility to the Max

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Embedding gadgets with Wimax injection, equipment manufacturers of devices such as dongles or smart phones are all set to overwhelm the enterprise users.

As India moves another notch up towards having better connectivity opportunities for the enterprise users, global equipment manufacturers are preparing faster 'go-to-market' strategies with a number of gadgets enabled for wireless broadband access (WBA) based on WiMax technology. Global manufacturers like Huawei, Samsung, Nokia etc firmly believe that WiMax is the etchnology of future communications and availability of these gadgets will keep enterprises and consumers on a watch out for the technology.

In its bid to cement its footing in India, the WiMax Forum, a global body comprising carriers, service providers, and component and equipment companies as members, is all set to add an Indian certification lab to its existing network this year. This will surely prove to be a torchbearer for the device-hungry Indian market, which can look forward to Wimax-ready and connected laptops, USB dongles, ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs), mobile handsets, and mobile Internet devices or (MIDs).

Embracing the Technology

Looking towards a bright future, the WiMax Forum and Assocham, are optimistic and expect the Indian market to support about 19 mn WiMax connections by 2012, representing about 20% of the global WiMax user base in 2.5/2.3 GHz bands. This expectation can be realized by the vast unconnected areas of India in the rural parts of the country. This is where a connectivity focused technology like Wimax can play a pivotal role in terms of reaching out to the unconnected masses and increasing the tele-density of the nation as well. The Forum is confident that if the technology is available off-the-shelf, operators will have the capability to kick-off full-fledged services within three months of the spectrum being allocated
And to the delight of the industry including the enterprise segment, telecom operators like Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Tata Communications and Reliance have already started to offer their WiMax services on 3.3 GHz, this is surely a big indication that the industry is looking at WiMax as a reliable solution to increase broadband penetration in the country. Some mobile operators have been using it for their backhaul connectivity, however, the use has been limited as spectrum is not available with operators to offer widespread services as of today.
India has a huge rural area that needs to get broadband coverage and that too in a smooth and timely fashion and Wimax is surely one technology that can help the industry move closer to the rural masses. The operators are now heading towards rural destinations. In the times ahead, the country is expected to receive heavy investments in mobile WiMax space.

The Wimax ecosystem

Wimax – Modems

Wimax – Dongles

Wimax –Laptops/Notebooks

Wimax – Smartphones/Handsets