It certainly seems that WiMax is coming under pressure, and that the major mobile operators may look to use any 3G spectrum they get in 2.1GHz for voice and use BWA spectrum for data (but not using WiMax).
re: Qualcomm Unveils LTE Plans for IndiaIndia BWA Auctions: Look through 3D glasses! The list of bidders for prime WiMAX bands in India of 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz is now out. The list of bidders appears to be surprising at first: It is Qualcomm, Bharti, Rcom,Idea,Vodafone, Spice and Tata Tele amongst others. This might look surprising considering the present businesses these companies are in. But if you don 3D glasses which enable you to look deep behind the scene, the business models become quite clear. It is well known that none of these companies( including Qualcomm) have any major experience in WiMAX and definitely no love for it. On the other hand, the giants of the WiMAX industry seem to be busy in things more important. However with WRC07 having approved the use of the OFDMA-TDD interface (used in Mobile WiMAX) as one of the interfaces for 3G and LTE, the scene has changed completely. WiMAXers may rightly find later that the BWA spectrum gets dedicated for mobile services under 3G amongst other uses. The strategy would be good as the BWA spectrum is not so keenly contested as the 3G spectrum and provides much wider bandwidths of 2x10 MHz against 2x5 MHz in 3G. Working off one slot in 3G will be like doing a tightrope walk particularly in crowded markets which are the only places where these will get to be used. It is also common knowledge that with users shifting away from CDMA 2000 networks, the bandwidth has been already deployed as EV-DO which is a 3G technology. Hence nothing revolutionary will happen just with someone winning a 3G auction- something which cannot be done today. On the other hand, the BWA spectrum is much more promising in terms of delivering applications with high bandwidth requirements and that is its key advantage. Using it for LTE or 3G is a non brainer in the present scenario. But looks like that the wait for WiMAX may turn out to be a mirage of the hot Indian summers when the services are expected to be launched.
Amitabh
Nice post - thanks.
It certainly seems that WiMax is coming under pressure, and that the major mobile operators may look to use any 3G spectrum they get in 2.1GHz for voice and use BWA spectrum for data (but not using WiMax).
Interesting times!
Ray