Orbitel, Siemens roll out WiMax in Colombia

Hot on the heels of last week's WiBro rollout in South Korea, Colombian long-distance operator Orbitel has teamed up with hardware manufacturer Siemens to deploy Latin America's first WiMax network in the city of Cali. The long-range wireless network, which will be duplicated in fourteen other cities in the upcoming months, employs Siemens' WayMax@dvantage (that's not a typo) system of base stations, modems, and monitoring and control gear to ensure interoperability with future devices based on the IEEE's 802.16e-2005 standard. WiMax is a particularly attractive option in countries whose wired infrastructures are still rather limited, allowing service providers to essentially leapfrog right over current broadband solutions and offer high-speed connections with considerably less capital expenditure. Orbitel is currently selling several service packages ranging from $39 to $325 per month, which supposedly buys you download speeds in the range of 2Mbps.

[Via GigaOm]

[chaosrain @ Jul 7th 2006 2:12PM]

Wow. I bet that w/in days the cartels will begin leveraging this network to facilitate an even more sophisticated drug distribution network. Shortly thereafter the CIA will probably work to hack the network to "skim" from the cartels with siezures and arrests. I can't wait to see Afghanistan and Iraq go WiMax so the DoD can perform a similar sleight-of-hand to crush the Taliban and Iraqi insurgency...too cool.

[thegrey @ Jul 7th 2006 2:52PM]

Woot woot free VOIP calls to colombia for me...

[GhostDoggy @ Jul 7th 2006 3:07PM]

chaosrain it is for them to better manage distrubtion. Better exportation predictions and better importation of money mules.

Its is surprising that this country is getting WiMax, but all of the telephone customers in the USA have to pay USF for those rural-types in our country.

[Kaliman @ Jul 7th 2006 4:56PM]

this is the best news i have heard all day, specially that the service is available in my city woot woot :P

[Jose @ Jul 7th 2006 5:00PM]

That's kind of demeaning. Telecommunication companies in Colombia are quite strong and spend considerable resources to R&D. I don't get why it's 'Surprising' or why everything Colombia-related has to have something to do with drugs too.

[Kaliman @ Jul 7th 2006 5:25PM]

im with you there Jose

[Daydalaus @ Jul 7th 2006 5:31PM]

??? First Wimax network In Latinoamérica?

We have Wimax in Chile i think since february, Entel Chile offers Internet and corporative services via Wimax to Enterprises.

mmmf

[Fernando Cassia @ Jul 7th 2006 6:00PM]

"Latin America's first WiMax network in the city of Cali."
Latin America's FIRST??? Yeah, right!!
http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/07/orbitel-siemens-roll-out-wimax-in-colombia/

2004:
Millicom Argentina Announces WiMax Network
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/wimax/article.php/3379661

Argentina Scores with WiMax
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/wireless/0,39020348,39160399,00.htm

2005:
Alvarion grabs WiMAX market in South America
Expocomm Argentina 2005
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26664

PS: Cali, the city famous for drug cartels, gets WiMax... does it mean that data "gets high" to the airwaves instead of passing through fiber laid below the streets??

[Guillermo @ Jul 7th 2006 6:07PM]

daydalaus, you shouldn't be surprised to see that some Americans really have no clue about what happens in South America.

They only know about Colombia because of the drugs, and because the current administration sucks up so much to Commander in Chief George W...

Otherwise it would be a great question mark for most of them...

Guille

[Gendo @ Jul 8th 2006 8:25AM]

It would be nice if my wife's in-laws could have broadband. They live in barrio El Diamante and only have dial-up. Since we live in the middle of the U.S. and are expecting a baby, this would be great for web cams.

As a gringo, I used to have the same thoughts as the ill-informed. Now that I am married to a Calena, I know about the beauty of Colombia. What a beautiful country! Te amo Colombia!! I can't wait to retire and move to my second home!

[saleh @ Jul 8th 2006 10:47AM]

LOL. it seems that those with the IQ of bush have signed on to make comments on Colombia.

wonderful!

[mancho @ Jul 10th 2006 9:17AM]

Do all the wimax networks in argentina or Chile covers the whole city? I mean, can you get on the internet in every corner around the city with that wimax networks?

Cause if you cant then Cali is the first city with over 2 million citizens where you can get on the internet wireless and high speed in almost every corner...

[Kaliman @ Jul 10th 2006 11:45AM]

it's sad that people actually think this way about colombia, it's stupid how people actually only believe everything they see on the news. Colombia like any other city might have some bad neiborhoods but there is a lot more to colombia then that. colombia and specially cali has nothing to envy other cities in the world.

[Oscar M. @ Jul 10th 2006 5:09PM]

Hi, Im using Orbitel´s wimax right now here in Cali. I luv it cuz I can connect anywhere I go. It comes with the Senmens Gigaset se461 wich is a portable wimax unit . Every user is getting 1MB connection as an offer even if you they a 100kbs plan. I think Cali was the first city because there is no Broadband service avaliable for 99% of Internet users..... u know its 2006 and we still using our 56k modem and still have to pay HIGH prices for that pathetic connection.
Im Out, but b4 I leave I wanna tell this fools my city is called LA SUCURSAL DEL CIELO, ignorant motherfucka finfd out what it means WE are not only into drugs BIATCH! And 4 tha rest of you guys ONE LUV!

[Orlando @ Sep 17th 2006 10:54AM]

Hello, I have been living in the US for some years and I kno so much about corruption in the US govenment starting with the association with CIA and the Busc dinasty starting with Preston Bush, grandfather of George W. Bush and former director of the CIA.
Today's mess with the World Trade Center incident and the war in Iraq is a result of something that started years ago when the US government’s CIA help to overthrow the govenment of Ayatollah in Iran and helped establish the corrupt government of the Sha of Iran. Years after Iran got In to war with Iran, etc of course with the help of US operatives in Middle East..Bla Bla and all that developed to be today’s mess and the manipulation of the United States government of the governments of other nations.
So don't you Americans come to criticize my country if you know you are guiltier of corruption than any other country in the world. What happens is that you dress it up so nicely with bullshit burocracy and diplomacy. But USA is no better than anyone else. I don't speak of all the americans, I only speak only of those who think america is heaven and the rest of the World Stinks... there you go.

Another thing, if you say that Colombia is full of drug dealers, would you like for others to say that the US is full of pot heads and drug addicts. It hurts doesn't it?

[LUIE @ May 4th 2007 12:09AM]

First I want to say that I am a Colombian born citizen but migrated to U.S. in 1971, I love the U.S. for all the opportunities it gives and the unselfishness of many people, but when it comes down to talking about my mother country as some here are doing, only because they have never been to this great country, with problems,yes but just like every country in the world including u.s. has them, we are not all drug dealers and drug users, we are a people of integrity and respect and I can prove that to you, by only coming to see...i live now in Cali, the second larget city in Colombia and has just about everything you need and want, it is not a jungle, nor are we hanging from threes as many uninformed americans so think, before you talk!!!
colombia is up to date in many comunication systems, we do wear clothes and shoes and we do have 2007 cars also...so it should not be a surprise unless you dont do much research and do more talking.