NEW DELHI: For India's 375 million-and-growing mobile phone users, 2009 holds the promise of third generation (3G) mobile and WiMax services.
The new technologies bring with it an exciting array of services -- super fast Internet on the mobile, video calls, interactive gaming et al. But far more important, these will enable rural India to access facilities such as e-governance, e-education, and tele-medicine among others.
The superior connectivity offered by these platforms can be used to bridge the digital divide and provide internet and data services to those who have no access to landlines.
According to handset major Nokia's global CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, in markets such as India, going forward, the first experience of Internet and email for its masses will no longer be on the PCs, but on their mobile phones.
While India is at least three years behind the world in 3G, the future presents the country a unique opportunity to take a global leadership in the WiMax (Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access) space, says Intel Capital's vice president Sriram Viswanathan.
Intel is amongst the biggest proponents of WiMax globally. With a paltry five million broadband subscribers against a population of over a billion, WiMax, in addition to being the lifeline for taking wireless data services to rural India, could also emerge as the broadband technology of choice for urban users.
WiMax networks, when deployed across, say in a city like Delhi, one can connect to the Internet wireless from any point, even on the move. One will no longer have to find a hotspot, or a fixed line to plug in their notebooks.
The year 2009 is also set to herald the entry of a slew of WiMax enabled handsets, which will enable consumers to use this platform and Internet telephony calls on their mobile. Exploiting WiMax for voice will push mobile tariffs in India, which are already the lowest in the world, to further lows.
The superior connectivity offered by these platforms can be used to bridge the digital divide and provide internet and data services to those who have no access to landlines.
According to handset major Nokia's global CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, in markets such as India, going forward, the first experience of Internet and email for its masses will no longer be on the PCs, but on their mobile phones.
While India is at least three years behind the world in 3G, the future presents the country a unique opportunity to take a global leadership in the WiMax (Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access) space, says Intel Capital's vice president Sriram Viswanathan.
Intel is amongst the biggest proponents of WiMax globally. With a paltry five million broadband subscribers against a population of over a billion, WiMax, in addition to being the lifeline for taking wireless data services to rural India, could also emerge as the broadband technology of choice for urban users.
WiMax networks, when deployed across, say in a city like Delhi, one can connect to the Internet wireless from any point, even on the move. One will no longer have to find a hotspot, or a fixed line to plug in their notebooks.
The year 2009 is also set to herald the entry of a slew of WiMax enabled handsets, which will enable consumers to use this platform and Internet telephony calls on their mobile. Exploiting WiMax for voice will push mobile tariffs in India, which are already the lowest in the world, to further lows.
However, experts caution that the opportunity lies in seeing WiMax as being complementary, rather than competing with 3G. The battle lines have been drawn -- it is no secret that some of the leading names in the global telecom space have intensified their efforts to prevent WiMax platform from taking root and spreading its wings in India.
The challenges for a successful WiMax rollout go beyond the opposition from network vendors on the rival camps.
Research firm Gartner is of the view that that India will remain a niche market for WiMax until 2009. "Although presented as an important driver for broadband policy in India, the Indian government has failed to effectively motivate operators to roll out country-wide mobile broadband. WiMax has been selected by the Indian government to connect rural areas to the Internet. However, low PC penetration will lead to limited demand in the near term. WiMax is still a niche technology and limited to enterprise and high-end residential users in urban India," Gartner said in a report last year.
If 2008 signified the idea of broadband for masses gaining traction, this year could well see the first steps towards bridging the nation's digital divide. Source:infotech.indiatimes.com
The challenges for a successful WiMax rollout go beyond the opposition from network vendors on the rival camps.
Research firm Gartner is of the view that that India will remain a niche market for WiMax until 2009. "Although presented as an important driver for broadband policy in India, the Indian government has failed to effectively motivate operators to roll out country-wide mobile broadband. WiMax has been selected by the Indian government to connect rural areas to the Internet. However, low PC penetration will lead to limited demand in the near term. WiMax is still a niche technology and limited to enterprise and high-end residential users in urban India," Gartner said in a report last year.
If 2008 signified the idea of broadband for masses gaining traction, this year could well see the first steps towards bridging the nation's digital divide. Source:infotech.indiatimes.com
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