Wireless dreams
WIMAX IS WIDELY TOUTED as the next big thing in broadband. Protagonists of the wireless technology are fighting a tooth and nail battle worldwide with the next evolution of GSM cellular technologies to win the hearts and minds of telecommunications providers.
Though service providers in the United States are split evenly between the different technologies, in South Africa WiMax is being seen as a way for those that traditionally have only been able to offer Internet access – Internet service providers (ISPs) – on the back of other network providers to control the network that clients use to connect to the Internet.
While a number have already completed trials on WiMax, many are now waiting for telecoms regulator Icasa to complete its licence conversion process and allocate spectrum to the lucky few allowed to roll out WiMax networks.
One company that’s just concluded a trial is MWeb. New business projects GM Eugene van der Westhuizen says the intelligence it gathered indicates it’s the right choice to provide a consumer- and SME-focused broadband network. He says it had around 900 users on its WiMax trial, including 100 in Soweto. Part of WiMax’s value as a technology is the speed it was able to get the network of seven base stations up and running. “From the time we received approval for the trial we had the system up and were connecting pilot users within three months.”
While Van der Westhuizen wasn’t willing to disclose the money involved in conducting the trial, he says the WiMax deployment was especially cost-effective when compared to a high-speed cellular data network. Its network range also provided its own benefits. He says in Johannesburg, where its hilly topography provides its own challenges, it was able to obtain a range of between five and 10km on a single base station and in flatter Cape Town, distances of more than 10km were possible.
After its 10-month trial MWeb had hoped to keep its test network running until being awarded a portion of the WiMax spectrum. However, Van der Westhuizen says due to spectrum scarcity – plus the number of organisations wanting to run trials – it had to terminate its experiment.
Van der Westhuizen is coy about timeframes but says much of the onus lies with Icasa. First, the regulator has to decide which, if any, of the current crop of value-added network services providers (Vans) will be awarded the coveted electronic communications network services (ECNS) licences – a critical part of the puzzle, because that’s needed to run a network.
The VANS licences have traditionally been allowed to offer services running on other organisations’ networks, such as Internet access and, more recently, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services.
SA’s old Telecommunications Act – now replaced by the Electronic Communications Act – controlled Vans licences. Under the new Act Icasa has to convert licences to conform to its definitions. For example, a Vans licence would be converted to an ECNS licence, but the Communications Ministry has opened the way for a few Vans to obtain an ECNS.
An ECNS will allow those companies that have them to run their own networks: companies such as Telkom, Neotel and SA’s cellular operators will by default have ECNS licenses. However, those with an ECNS licence – such as MWeb – will allow them to run their own networks.
Theoretically, that could entail the deployment of a network through any means they consider necessary. But for former ISPs it will most likely simply involve the use of WiMax or another wireless technology to cover what’s known as “the last mile”.
However, obtaining an ECNS licence is but the first step in delivering a WiMax network. Once a licence is awarded, MWeb must wait for Icasa to allocate the radio frequency spectrum over which to run its WiMax network.
Due to the number of those that want to use WiMax as part of their service the spectrum’s obviously much in demand – but it’s limited by Icasa as to where there’s space to run it.
Radio frequency spectrum is currently one of the most valuable properties in SA and Icasa is likely to err on the side of caution when giving permission for companies to use a particular piece of its allocated spectrum.
Van der Westhuizen says if the licensing and spectrum allocation process proceeds at the speed, he anticipates MWeb will have a commercial WiMax service available by April 2009.
Part of WiMax’s attraction is that its technology can be used for voice or data services. Van der Westhuizen says its 100 trialists in Soweto were given equipment to make calls across the link and the technology worked marvellously. That praise from a service provider is vitally important, as it will allow users to discard their fixed telephone lines and run both their home phones and Internet connections across the same link.
However, going that route will place an additional burden on MWeb, as clients will expect a similar quality of service from its WiMax offering as they obtain from their existing Telkom line regarding availability and voice quality. Any disappointments – especially from its first adopters – would possibly hurt MWeb’s reputation over the long term.
Van der Westhuizen says MWeb is currently working closely with Icasa to keep the process moving. However, MWeb had better hope that Vodacom (through iBurst) and Telkom – both already have WiMax spectrum allocations – don’t either do too good a job (and attract all the clients) or too bad a job (and tarnish the image of WiMax) before it can bring its own offering to the market.
Finweek
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