WI-MAX: Maximum Exposure

Two forces that are driving Internet are broadband and
wireless. Bringing these two forces in a single package is the promise of Wi-Max
(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Wi-Max delivers high-speed
broadband Internet access over a wireless connection. It is an effective
solution for the 'last mile' problem. For a country like India with diverse
geographies, WiMax spells a boon for the growth of information technology (IT)
beyond few cities.

Based on the IEEE 802.16 Air Interface Standard, Wi-Max
delivers a point-to-multipoint architecture, making it an ideal method for
carriers to deliver broadband to locations where wired connections would be
difficult or costly. It also provides a useful solution for delivering broadband
to rural areas where high-speed lines have not yet become available. A Wi-Max
connection can also be bridged or routed to a standard wired or wireless Local
Area Network (LAN).

The so-called 'last mile' of broadband is the most
expensive and most difficult for broadband providers, and Wi-Max provides an
easy solution. Although it is a wireless technology, unlike some other wireless
technologies, it doesn't require a direct line of sight between the source and
endpoint, and it has a service range of 50 km. It provides a shared data rate of
up to 70Mbps, which is enough to service up to a thousand homes with high-speed
access.

Ready for deployment

Wi-Max is the trade name for a group of wireless technologies that emerged from
the IEEE 802.16 Wireless MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) family of standards. It
is a standards-based wireless technology gaining rapid acceptance around the
world. It is capable of delivering broadband Internet and extending services
like Internet telephony throughout India without major disruption to
transportation and other services.

Although the term Wi-Max is only a few years old, 802.16 have
been around since the late 1990s, first with the adoption of the 802.16 standard
(10-66GHz) and then with 802.16a (2-11GHz) in January 2003.

Wi-Max fixed (static) version, 802.16d-2004 (also called
Rev.d), was ratified by IEEE and is in the early stages of deployment now.
Whereas Wi-Max802.16e-2005, the universal Wi-Max version was ratified in
December 2005 by IEEE (IEEE 802.16e-2005, also called as Rev.e) and is expected
to see first deployments in Q3 2006 with mass market ramp up in 2007 and 2008.

Technology aspects

Wi-Max is an Internet Protocol (IP) based standard developed by the IEEE body
for IP-based data applications, also embedding native VoIP that leverages
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM), a physical layer transmission
technique increasingly used for many advanced broadcast, mobile and wireless
access systems.

Wi-Max supports different simultaneous application classes:
interactive gaming, VoIP and video conferencing, real-time streaming media, web
browsing, instant messaging and media content download. Each of these classes
leverages different performance levels with regards to bandwidth, latency and
jitter. Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 will use a TDD mode, which will be favorable to
asymmetric services.

WiMAX comes in different variants and present-day deployments
leverage 802.16d. However, all industry heavyweights are now gearing up for
Wi-Max802.16e-2005. From chipset manufacturers to terminal vendors and network
suppliers, all recent moves point to Wi-Max802.16e-2005 as the potential mass
market standard, as exemplified by Intel and Motorola pan-Asian initiatives.

Be it for mobile, fixed or new disruptive operators,
Wi-Max802.16e-2005 seems to be the best-suited candidate to ensure future-proof
cost-effective deployment and rapid mass-market adoption thanks to fully
interoperable end-user devices.

Market drivers

Broadband wireless access (BWA) can be a cost effective means for providing
basic telecom services as well as high-speed Internet connections for the
un-served (neither fixed nor mobile connection) people in the world today.

In an emerging market such as India for instance, where the
authorities see the Internet as a public utility poised to positively impact
education, health, employment as well as empowerment, broadband wireless
technologies and WiMax in particular are considered major enablers that will
make this strong vision a reality.

According to Alcatel in India, this segment would represent
between 25 and 35 percent of the total cumulative broadband wireless access
market opportunity, serving up to an estimated 25 million subscribers by 2010.

For the developed and developing markets, this segment
targets users outside their home or office environment using either a laptop or
a PDA. But this time they benefit from continuous area radio coverage, eg,
everywhere in the city with full mobility in a cellular RAN architecture.

The key technological mass-market success factor here would
be Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 support by PCMCIA card for laptop users, Customer Premise
Equipment (CPE) for PC users and by chipset manufacturers for integrating the
technology in handheld devices directly.

This segment is expected to account for half of the BWA
market opportunity ie 45-55 percent with an estimated 40 million subscribers by
2010.

Efforts in India

While almost all the telecom companies are keen on deploying this
technology, it is Alcatel that has taken the lead in joining hands with the
Indian government to propagate the deployment of Wi-Max in the country.

Considering the present market scenario in India, Alcatel has
significantly moved towards the development of broadband wireless technologies
specific to the Indian market requirements. Alcatel firmly believe that BWA
would be the main driver for the future of telecom industry especially in
developing nations like India.

In the same context a joint initiative along with the
government of India enterprise, C-DoT has been taken and a joint venture has
been formed that is focused on BWA technologies development to suit the Indian
market conditions. The initial agenda of CARC (C-DoT Alcatel Research Center) is
to work on Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 technologies particularly focusing on the
development of low cost Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) design optimized for
Indian market conditions. In addition to above CARC is also destined to develop
a 700MHz solution based on Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 specifically for rural India.

At CARC a full-fledged lab is being setup, which would be
used for technology demonstrations and also for research purpose.

Alcatel, is also in discussion at various levels with all the
major service providers in India on Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 based services. It is
also establishing field trials based on Wi-Max 802.16e-2005 in the country to
demonstrate the key feature set of this technology. Basically the idea is to
create a cellular RAN architecture in field and demonstrate full mobility and
nomadicity for various data, voice and video applications thereby helping the
technology gain maturity. And by the beginning of 2007 it should be ready for
commercial rollouts.

To help accelerate the deployment of wireless broadband
access, Intel is another player, which has played a leading role in both the Wi-Max
forum and IEEE in accelerating the completion of conformance test
specifications, PHY and MAC contributions, and mobility specifications. By 2006,
Intel intends to integrate Wi-Max into mobile computers to support roaming
between Wi-Max service areas.

Full throttle by 2008

According to industry estimates, full broadband mobility market is expected
to be significant in the next five years and will start gathering momentum 2008
onwards. Until then, Wi-Max makes an ideal solution for creating wireless hot
spots in places like airports, college campuses, and small communities as it can
be used over relatively long distances.

NELSON JOHNY