Drishtikone
Interesting news from across the border.. .I have always believed that it would be good for India if Pakistan progresses too economically. So this is a welcome step. It would be good if India could also use this technology to connect the vast hinterland!
Motorola is providing the country’s Wateen Telecom with an 802.16e-based Motowi4 network. An initial uptake of a million subscribers is expected, with a nationwide rollout to follow.
As a developing country, Pakistan has until now lacked the infrastructure for widespread broadband.
The deployment is a milestone in the spread of WiMax, a superfast wireless technology that has a range of up to 30 miles and can deliver broadband at a theoretical maximum of 75 megabits per second. The 802.16-2004 standard, which is used in fixed WiMax networks, is being skipped in favor of a large-scale introduction of 802.16e, which was only recently agreed upon by the WiMax Forum.
“We made the decision 18 months ago to jump over (802.16-2004) and go straight to 802.16e,” Paul Sergeant, Motorola’s marketing director for Motowi4, told ZDNet UK on Tuesday. “We’ve been working on it for a while, which is how we’re able to ship so soon after agreement.”
“802.16e leads to a much larger market as it addresses mobility needs, but we also felt it could be just as good a solution for fixed broadband,” he added.
Some analysts said the Pakistan deal is proof that major players in the industry are throwing their weight behind mobile WiMax in a way they haven’t with the fixed version.
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