WiMax potential shown
The debate surrounding WiMax and the future of the technology is far from over, with some industry players suggesting that HSDPA and LTE have already won the wireless broadband war. Others argue that WiMax is yet to come into its own, and that the advantage of no Intellectual Property rights (IP) makes the technology far more suitable to widely embed in laptops and other mobile devices.
WiMax is yet to prove that it will become as widely used as technologies like HSDPA, and locally the technology has not had a big impact on the broadband market. Intel is however working with various brands to launch WiMax embedded laptops later this year, something which may change the way operators view the technology.
Despite the poor performance of WiMax in South Africa, the technology is gaining traction in Africa. Local technology and telecoms specialists Neology are at the forefront of using WiMax to provide Internet access in Africa.
Neology CIO, Regardt van de Vyver notes that while both LTE and WiMax has a place in Africa, WiMax offers a cost of deployment and is available today in proven form. He adds that for a typical ISP, WiMax can provide all the capacity and latency requirements to ensure a solid and profitable network; it all comes down how well it is deployed.
Neology recently rolled out a WiMax network in Uganda, offering clients a variety of products including an uncapped 1 Mbps broadband service. The network utilizes Airspan’s WiMax (802.16d) equipment and more than 80% of the deployed client devices are indoor units. Neology built the network from scratch providing a turnkey deployment for their customer. The initial deployment utilizes satellite bandwidth but Seacom bandwidth has already been procured for use once it goes live.
One of the surprising parts of this network is that the company only has access to 14 MHz of spectrum, widely seen inadequate to roll out and operate a commercial WiMax service. Neology CTO Roelf Diedericks says that while the limited spectrum is restrictive, it is still possible to build commercially viable services with 14 MHz of spectrum.
ICASA previously announced that it is planning to award 20 MHz of WiMax spectrum to successful applicants, something which was slated by industry player Intel. According to Intel ICASA should provide each operator with at least 30 MHz of spectrum to ensure a strong business case and make it easier to provide high speed broadband services.
Diedericks however argues that he will gladly take 20 MHz of spectrum, and can guarantee that he will be able to roll out a profitable WiMax network in South Africa with that spectrum. He further pointed out that even 14 MHz is enough when used effectively; countries such as Kenya only provide an initial allocation of 7MHz, which has been proven sufficient for initial deployments.
Waiting for ICASA
The lack of allocated WiMax spectrum is holding the local telecoms industry back. Companies like Internet Solutions and MWEB have made it clear that they are ready to invest in WiMax networks if they are awarded spectrum. ICASA is however mute regarding their progress on allocating spectrum, something which the telecoms industry is growing increasingly impatient about.
Telkom, Neotel, Sentech and iBurst (through its holding company WBS) have previously been allocated WiMax spectrum, but many experts feel that not enough is done with this spectrum and that it should even be taken back in some cases. A use-it-or-lose-it policy is particularly relevant in the case of Sentech which has 50 MHz of valuable 2.5 GHz spectrum that is not really used.
Intel has been driving the adoption of WiMax, but Intel’s WiMax marketing development manager for sub-Saharan Africa Gavin Coetzer said that ICASA’s slow allocation process means that their hands are tied. Coetzer added that the regulator would be well advised to allocate spectrum as soon as possible if it wants to stimulate competition and benefit consumers.
WiMax & broadband discussion
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