VSNL Launches WiMax Services In Bangalore; Others Prepare For Policy Changes

By Nikhil Pahwa Jun. 1, 2007, 5:43pm 5 Comments

What’s holding back WiMax in India: As per this story in the Mint, the spectrum policy imposes a recurring charge on ISPs for base stations, thus making it viable to target only volume users. Expecting a change in policy to a revenue-share model, operators are setting up wireless infrastructure:

– Reliance Communications plans to have 3000 base stations in 25 cities by end 2007, and plans to launch services in Pune and Bangalore in July. Expected expenditure is around $50 million.
– VSNL is setting up 1300 broadband towers in five cities. According to CIOL, VSNL has launched today, WiMax services for enterprises in Bangalore.
– Sify has plans to put up wireless transmitters on top of its retail outlets.

Now all of this, when no single standard for WiMax has been decided? Also, it’s the telco’s who do not have the last mile access, unlike BSNL and MTNL, who are adopting these new technologies – would they invest in wireless infrastructure if they did have last mile access? I’m not sure of how much to read into some of these announcements. If you remember, CP in Delhi was supposed to be WiFi’ed, with free Internet access, by this January. Nothing so far.