WiMAX Forum still holds out hope for Indian deployments

Despite a setback when Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) won Broadband Wireless Access licenses in India, thereby ensuring that TD-LTE technology would gain a foothold in the country, the WiMAX Forum is still hoping for a WiMAX play in India.
The forum and its WiMAX vendors are targeting Reliance Industries Ltd., that country’s largest private-sector conglomerate, to see if they can convince the operator to deploy WiMAX equipment, said Declan Byrne, director of marketing for the forum. “We understand India is critical to WiMAX.” And while the trade group wants Reliance to deploy WiMAX technology, Byrne also said that “all is not lost” if Reliance decides to deploy a different technology.
Reliance, which picked up Infotel Broadband Services Ltd. for $1 billion immediately following the BWA auction, has publicly stated it supports TD-LTE technology.
However, Byrne said the operator has backed off a bit from that statement, and could begin initial deployments with WiMAX technology because it is commercially available today at cheap price points. WiMAX technology was considered a sure thing in India. However, auction delays and spectrum changes (deciding to auction BWA spectrum at 2.3 GHz instead of 2.5 GHz) opened the door to TD-LTE technology. That protocol gained credence once China Mobile Ltd., the world’s largest wireless operator, said it planned to deploy TD-LTE across its network.
Nevertheless, Byrne said the trade group and vendors are meeting with Indian operators Aug. 20 to showcase the 300 products commercially available today that use WiMAX technology, including high-end devices like the Evo 4G from HTC Corp. to stripped-down cheap dongles, Byrne said. In contrast, mass quantities of LTE devices are still 18 months away from commercial availability, and perhaps not at the lower price points WiMAX devices enjoy. WiMAX manufacturers can deliver a dongle for $20 to $30 and still make a profit, Byrne said, which is especially relevant in the Indian market.
Smart grids and aviation verticals
Meanwhile, the WiMAX Forum is also continuing to work with utility companies to use WiMAX technology for smart-grid deployments. The forum is working with the Utilities Telecom Council to garner support for reserving spectrum in the United States for smart-grid operations, similar an initiative taking place in Canada.
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking at deploying WiMAX technology at 5.1 GHz as part of its plans to have airport personnel nationwide using the same communications technology, Byrne noted.