4:00 AM Standing room only at Mobile Broadband event

July 7, 2010

2 Min Read
Full House in New Delhi

NEW DELHI -- Mobile Broadband Summit 2010 -- Is there a hotter market in the world right now than Indian mobile broadband? It'd be tough to find one that could match the buzz and debate that's happening here right now.

With the 3G and BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) auctions now complete, the process of next-generation wireless network planning and rollout is underway, but with many questions about technology and service choices yet to be answered. (See India's 3G Auction Ends, Raises $14.6B and India's BWA Auction Ends in $8.2B Drama.)

That's why there's a full house here today in the Indian capital, the conference room at the Le Meridien hotel packed with around 150 service provider executives attending the Mobile Broadband Summit.

They heard morning keynote addresses from Kuldeep Goyal, the chairman and managing director (CMD) of state-owned national operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) , P.J. Thomas, secretary of India's Department of Telecommunications and chairman of the government's Telecom Commission, and C.S. Rao, chairman of the WiMAX Forum 's India branch. (See India's Still Hot for WiMax, Says Forum and Top Indian Operators Set Out Broadband Agenda.)

One of the big questions of the day is: How can India's operators get a return on their massive investments in 3G and BWA spectrum? There are plenty of suggestions, from the network deployment, service creation, and business strategy perspectives, but it'll be years before we'll know if any of India's carriers have the answer.

The expectation, though, is that in the Broadband Wireless Access sector at least, Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) will disrupt the market with a new approach to wireless broadband deployment and delivery. (See Oh Brother! and RIL Takes Over Infotel.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading

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