WiMAX Forum Touts Growth Potential In India

Oct 24, 2008 4:07 PM, MD&D News Staff

Projecting that the WiMAX market in India will be worth $13 billion in 2012, the WiMAX Forum has announced plans for a WiMAX Application Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. The market projection is based on predictions of 27.5 million WiMAX users, or 19 million subscribers, in 2012. The Forum said that the 27.5 million users would represent approximately 20% of the global WiMAX user base.

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The group cited WiMAX’s broadband performance capability, early availability, cost advantages, government support, and the Indian Department of Telecommunications’ upcoming allocation and auction of the 2.3- and 2.5-GHz WiMAX bands. Because the Indian telecom sector operates in a volume-driven market, India is not only positioned to spur one of the world’s largest broadband wireless markets, but also to support an ancillary ecosystem that will generate further employment, enhance development in semi-urban and rural areas, and lead toward true sustainability, according to the Forum.

The Applications Lab, in its early planning stages, would join two other labs in Taiwan and the U.S. IIT Delhi has a functioning WiMAX test bed and serves as an ideal location to host this lab. Created with the backing of the Indian industry and DoT, the lab will focus on enhancing WiMAX quality of experience and WiMAX community services for underserved areas. IIT Delhi already has active programs examining IT Community services, including telemedicine, distance learning, and e-government. These applications are of particular interest to the Indian market and will be explored more fully by the lab.

“In India, WiMAX represents a win-win proposition, benefiting both network operators and subscribers at the same time,” said C.S. Rao, chairman of the WiMAX Forum India chapter. “Broadband penetration being low, the opportunity for operators to gain large numbers of subscribers through WiMAX is incredible. Any service provider with innovative service offerings, attractive devices, and go-to-market plans that maximize the utility offered by WiMAX technology to price-sensitive Indian customers can use this ready and proven technology to quickly gain market share.”