Wireless15.03.2011

iBurst trialling ‘new generation’ WiMax/LTE network

iBurst has been flying under the radar for the last few months, but the company is quietly building a significant fibre network and trialling the latest WiMax and LTE equipment for future use.

To date iBurst has been associated with the iBurst technology which has not enjoyed mass uptake globally – and is subsequently seen as a dying technology.

iBurst has however already spread its wings with its WiMax network which was built in partnership with Vodacom Business, and is now looking at the future with its WiMax and LTE equipment testing.

iBurst’s Technical Director Sasan Parvin explains that they are currently trialling Huawei WiMax equipment which provides them with better throughput, better spectral efficiency and future proofing with easy migration to LTE if needed.

Sasan ParvinParvin said that they will be upgrading their existing WiMax network should the trials go as expected – and if needed they will upgrade to an LTE network in future.

Parvin however believes that WiMax and LTE will co-exist peacefully in future, and that iBurst is likely to run both WiMax and LTE networks five years from now.

iBurst’s increased focus on WiMax and LTE means that the company would like more spectrum in the 2.6GHz band, and Parvin is confident that they will get more spectrum from ICASA (in addition to their current 15MHz in the 2.6GHz band).

Despite iBurst’s planned investment in a new WiMax/LTE network Parvin said that the current iBurst network is here to stay. Despite only offering speeds of up to 1Mbps, the technology is offering many subscribers an affordable and stable way to access the Internet.

Backhaul network

iBurst has also developed a 200km fibre network in Gauteng to complement its existing microwave backhaul network.

This fibre network, Parvin explains, provides iBurst with far greater capacity to serve their bandwidth needs – both for their consumer services and Metronet offerings aimed at the business market.

iBurst is now also using EASSy in conjunction with their SAT-3 capacity to serve their international bandwidth needs and ensuring a robust international network.

iBurst WiMax/LTE network << Comments and views

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