Mobile WiMAX - personal broadband services to enhance lifestyles, productivity

And the second thing often overlooked is that there are actually two different flavours of WiMAX: one for the mature market - personal broadband with mobile WiMAX - and another for emerging markets -primary broadband access with fixed and mobile WiMAX. The business case for fixed WiMAX networks is now proven and secure.

New and existing operators have built and are building WiMAX (Wireless DSL) networks to bridge underserved areas in wired infrastructure. Their initial focus is on wireless DSL type solutions becoming portable and mobile. Operators have also identified that WiMAX provides them with a costeffective and economically feasible way to provide highquality voice and data services in low tele-density areas. Now mobile WiMAX is almost with us. The standard has been agreed, many of the WiMAX Forum's profiles have been completed, certification testing will start shortly, two plugfests have been held. Finally operators will be able to build a network that can span both fixed and mobile operations.

It is expected that WiMAX technology will be incorporated in notebook computers and PDAs by 2008, allowing for urban areas and cities to become "metro zones" for mobile personal broadband internet wireless access. And with the development of mobile WiMAX, people are now talking about the quadruple play - which comprises voice, data and video plus the new ingredient, mobility - and personal broadband services.

Personal broadband
There is a fundamental demand for personal broadband services, as "DSL" on the move to improve efficiency at work and lifestyle. Mobile WiMAX is the perfect answer to that demand since it allows service providers to create large metropolitan wireless networks so people can use the same device wherever they are to get voice and data services.

For the end-users, using mobile WiMAX will mean not having to look for a Wi-Fi hotspot every time they open their laptops in a new location. In fact, they will always be connected to the same WiMAX network and enjoy guaranteed QoS, high levels of security and 2-4 MBps personal broadband services. Personal broadband is a fusion of the two explosive markets of mobile voice and broadband. As a result the size of the market is determined by looking at four types of customers:

• Those migrating from mobile voice services and seeking higher speeds for additional applications
• Fixed users who want mobility
• Wi-Fi users seeking additional range
• New users who will desire the many new applications of Personal Broadband services.

Until now, the early adopters of WiMAX and other broadband wireless access systems have been operators serving areas not covered by traditional wireline broadband connections.

Are mobile WiMAX networks available today?
Upon the introduction of Personal broadband services, the mobile WiMAX market size is forecasted to reach between $10 billion to $20 billion with more than 80 million subscribers.

With such huge market potential and a clear vision of market needs, vendors and operators alike are putting more and more resources into defining and developing solutions for personal broadband services using mobile WiMAX. Clear indications of the excitement surrounding mobile WiMAX include the growing number of RFIs and RFQs issued by both large and small operators and the planning and execution of numerous trials in various parts of the world. Mobile WiMAX is progressing rapidly and will soon form the basis of many large networks around the world.

Mobile broadband for every type of service provider
Many service providers are looking at their current and future plans and debating the direction of their service roadmap to remain competitive in the long term. As mobile broadband has clearly emerged as the next revenue generator, how does it fit within providers' current networks?

The WiMAX Forum has seen a strong interest in WiMAX from a broad range of service providers, the largest group among Forum members. The Forum says that the business models of service providers are varied, but many of their goals are common:

• Minimize traffic costs to deliver mobile data services
• Improve efficiency of spectrum utilization  Offer new high-bandwidth, low-latency services to mobile users, over an IP-based network, that support real-time applications like VoIP, content streaming and gaming
• Choose a technology that delivers a positive Return on Investment (ROI).

Operators actively trialing and investigating the potential of mobile WiMAX include:

Fixed line incumbent operators
Fixed line incumbent operators face intense competition for basic voice services as the number and type of competitors have increased sharply. Mobile WiMAX offers these operators the ability to regain and increase revenues. By offering mobile broadband and voice services, while taking advantage of their existing backhauling infrastructure and points-of-presence, incumbents can offer broadband, voice, and other services using a single wireless infrastructure.

Innovative Challenger/new operators
For 'innovative challenger' operators, mobile broadband is the way to avoid using incumbent infrastructure, while providing services at competitive prices with a low initial investment. With mobile WiMAX services, they can offer services in population-dense urban areas or rural areas where there is no coverage by the incumbent. Mobile WiMAX can also be used to offer backhaul to Wi-Fi hotspot services.


Cable Operators
Cable operators are looking to mobile services to gain market share in broadband and voice services towards the overall convergence of services on their networks. With arrangements such as the Sprint-Comcast cooperation in the U.S., cable operators are starting to gain an advantage over other fixed line operators as they now begin to offer the 'triple play' services of voice, video and data with the convenience of mobility. With this combination, they can offer mobile users increased in-home coverage and the ability to switch calls between their mobile and fixed infrastructure, including the use of in-home Wi-Fi connections.

Mobile Operators
Mobile operators are focusing on and investing in third generation technology as an adjunct to their current GSM or CDMA network systems. The result is two different networks - one for voice calls and one for media-centric broadband services - running simultaneously, since adding broadband to the voice network which was designed for point-to-point voice applications may result in network overload. Mobile WiMAX allows these operators to reduce congestion on their networks in the areas where needed, adding more capacity and enjoying the benefits of an all-IP architecture. Leveraging their existing base stations, RF knowledge, field equipment and personnel, mobile operators can quickly and easily deploy a mobile WiMAX network.

Therefore, mobile WiMAX is a next generation solution for all types of service providers enabling them to enhance their revenues through a better business case and user experience for mobile broadband services.

The cost of mobile
WiMAX The most effective cost comparison is done when comparing overall network costs for a required traffic load and subscriber load a network should operate at. The cost improvements are obtained by having more much more capacity available to supply the demand per square mile resulting in fewer base stations and cell sites (see table and diagram for cost and performance comparisons). The key thing to remember when comparing WiMAX to other technologies is that 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi and all the other competing wireless technologies can't offer the 'one device broadband everywhere' experience that WiMAX will be able to - and they have much lower bandwidths.

WiMAX and mobile WiMAX in India
In India, the spectrum for fixed WiMAX - 3.3GHz - was allocated in 2005 and a number of operators built fixed WiMAX networks in a number of cities across the country. These deployments have been so successful that the operators have now decided to build WiMAX in every city in India. Rural India is also expected to be a major market for WiMAX as it will be able to provide cost -effective backhauling to large numbers of villages where the ARPU is typically low and so the capex must be too.However, it is clear that the available spectrum in 3.3Ghz will not be sufficient for the development of WiMAX in India and currently the Indian Authorities are taking the necessary steps to allocate more spectrum for both fixed and mobile WiMAX.

Key initial challenges such as technology maturity and integration with operator networks, followed by the availability of added value services, will greatly affect market growth for mobile WiMAX technology.The future is bright for both fixed and mobile WiMAX both in India and the rest of the world. Finally operators have a cost-effective and economically feasible way to provide high-quality voice and data services in low tele-density areas - and a way to provide true mobility to voice and data users.