Towards an unwired Bangalore

Manu Sharma

CyberMedia News

Bangalore

November 8th, 2007

Bangalore was a key contender in the race for the world's first Wi-Fi city in
2006. However, having lost out to Taipei, Taiwan, the city now eyes to become
the country's first complete unwired city.

The state government has started a pilot study and is waiting for the cabinet
approval to kick off the project. After prolonged delays, it looks like
Bangalore is finally set to bid adieu to wires on par with cities like Milpitas,
Palo Alto and Taipei in terms of last-mile Internet access. This would mean that
one could browse the Internet while driving on the roads.

The pilot project, 'Unwired Bangalore', will cover the entire stretch of MG
Road -- from Trinity Circle up to the MG Road-Kasturba Road junction.

WiMAXing Bangalore

Speaking about the project, M.N Vidyashankar, IT & BT Secretary to the
Karnataka government said, "Unwired Bangalore is an 18-month project where
WiMAX, in conjunction with Wi-Fi mesh technology. It will be implemented to
cover 743 sq. kms to provide the largest wireless infrastructure in the country
today. We are only waiting for the cabinet to approve the letter of intent.''

Industry experts hope that the project does not get mired in bureaucratic
tangles, and gets started soon to redefine the way Bangaloreans live and work.

"About 70 per cent of Bangalore is already equipped with fixed base
stations and, for a start, a stretch of 3.5 km in the city center will be
WiMAXed as part of the pilot project to provide wireless connectivity to the
Net," said Vidyashankar, adding that 500 meter on either side would be
covered of the 15 km stretch through Kasturba Road, MG Road, Mayo Hall and
Bridge Road.

The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bangalore is implementing the
project along with the state IT department and an undisclosed private player.
The final WiMAX project, which is likely to be extended to the rest of the city,
will amount to about Rs 450 crore.

Meanwhile, according to industry experts, service providers Aircel and
Microsense are setting up WiMAX towers for this pilot project. Each tower will
have a cell radius of 4-5 km, compared to Wi-Fi's limited range of a few meters.

Vision: Unwired Bangalore

The vision of Unwired Bangalore will enable citizens to enjoy broadband in
their homes, offices, schools and public areas - whether this is for personal,
business or public service usage. Instead of being tied to offices, homes or
individual hotpots, people will have fast convenient access to information - and
each other - from virtually any corner of the city. Users can connect wirelessly
and roam seamlessly to access applications and services at anytime and from any
place.

"Being the IT capital, we set standards for the rest of the country and
the Unwired Bangalore project will be a benchmark for technologies such as WiMAX
and Wi-Fi," said Vidyashankar.

"The pilot run will be done primarily to demonstrate how WiMAX works.
The wireless connectivity will be seamless for the pilot project, as at every 55
meter we have installed a base station. We have to cover 743 meter of area under
Bangalore Mahanagar Palika (BMP). It is, in fact, double the size of what Taipei
has set up. Already, we have six companies who have shown interest in the
project, and we will shortlist from these."

Reacting to reports that Pune has already beaten Bangalore as India's first
Wi-Fi city, Vidyashankar added, "It is only a hype in the media, but no
truth. You should personally visit Pune to know the realities. None of the other
cities are in contention for the race".

Pune claims to be the first city in the country where a commercial meshed
Wi-Fi and WiMAX deployment under the 'Unwired Pune' project took place.
According to experts, Intel Technology Pvt. Ltd, along with the Pune Municipal
Corporation (PMC) and Microsense, are jointly executing the project.