Indian telecom company to rollout massive WiMAX network

Even as Sprint tentatively rolls out the XOHM network here in the States, the largest Indian telecom company is planning to build a mobile WiMAX network covering three states on the subcontinent capable of serving 250 million people. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is leaning on Soma Networks to build the broadband-speed network in response to government requirement that 20 million broadband lines be in service by 2010. The WiMAX rollout will first hit the largest and most-connected states, but BSNL is planning on extending the network if things go well. Soma says it's shipping thousands of base stations to get the network operational at full speed, and that when it's done, 400 Indian cities will be covered, with downstream speeds of 1.5 megabits per seconds. No word on when that might be, but the race is officially on, Sprint.

[Kurian @ Jan 24th 2008 8:31AM]

We've breached the 1mbps barrier!
Now I can consider upgrading my 64kbps connection with 100mb per month download limit.

[Eric YJ Chiu @ Jan 24th 2008 8:46AM]

Can people be fed on Wireless signals?

[Kaizersoze @ Jan 25th 2008 12:11AM]

Not so fast . First they'll acquire knowledge and then , Americans will get your job bangalored.
Hope you got the picture.

[silverblackvoid @ Jan 24th 2008 9:17AM]

your ignorace is amazing! it makes me laugh.

[tanooki2003 @ Jan 24th 2008 9:23AM]

Ignorant buffoon.

[Mark D @ Jan 24th 2008 11:21AM]

OMG do you actually have peripheral vision even though you have slitty eyes that are barely open?

...there that comment was as ignorant as yours.

[Vinay @ Jan 24th 2008 5:05PM]

In a weird way, yes. Farmers can manage transactions better. The buying and selling responses will be better, and the overall economy grows.


Your question is similar to those idiots in the 70s who questioned India's entry into the remote-sensing satellites, before. Rice, before space, they argued.

Well, the prinipal beneficiary of India's space programme has been the Indian farmer. With weather reports, soil conditions and precious data of the like, Indian agriculture has got a boost that not many others have managed so.

[Eric YJ Chiu @ Jan 24th 2008 8:37PM]

now I c why china started blowing satellites - to protect the poor, the farmers etc from western invasion and secure its education, healthcare and basic infrastructure.

Wot a classic

[Mohan Nair @ Jan 25th 2008 2:54AM]

May be flied ri

You lowlife.

[rob @ Apr 11th 2008 10:33AM]

Hey China-man, killed any Tibetans lately?

[Maestro @ Jan 24th 2008 8:46AM]

WiMax....yawn already.

[Andy Bowd @ Jan 24th 2008 8:50AM]

...And they've chosen the palm pilot's old sync icon for some reason.

[Apoorva Iyer @ Jan 25th 2008 8:46AM]

That's been their logo since their inception roughly around 1999.

[thethirdmoose @ Jan 24th 2008 8:58AM]

1.5 mbps down? sounds like EV-DO to me... (or the GSM equivalent)

[saad @ Jan 24th 2008 9:12AM]

hey Pakistan already have WiMax service running in the country.. check the service provide: http://www.wateen.com
India is farrr behind in this !!

http://www.pccunion.com

[silverblackvoid @ Jan 24th 2008 9:14AM]

massive lol

[vaiyach @ Jan 24th 2008 10:13AM]

Cyber war is still a war..! Why can't people be at peace!!
:-|

[Vinay @ Jan 24th 2008 5:08PM]

Big effin' deal. India's Reliance Communications, a private company, has been running WiMax operations for almost a year and a half now.


http://www.informationmadness.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=198&Itemid=49

[Galt @ Jan 27th 2008 1:21PM]

@Saad,
Good for Pakistan. Many Indian cities have had wimax running city-wide for a couple of years now - just by private operators. The BSNL news is big because now the govt. is getting it's ass in motion - which might (if all goes well) end up meaning INdians may soon start considering access to the Internet their birth right as they do cell phones right now!

[Naren Pingle @ Jan 24th 2008 9:56AM]

In last few years, India has done really well in telecoms sector. great going !!!

[Manan @ Jan 24th 2008 10:52AM]

for all those who dont know ... even though BSNL is a major player in the telecom industry here in India their services suck .... its more like a gamble ... if it works ur win if not u loose ...

[souravgh @ Jan 24th 2008 11:31AM]

i disagree, having tried quite a few providers, i can say my best experience yet has been with bsnl.
Their speeds are not overstated and are consistent unlike reliance or tata indicom.

[Harkeerat Bedi @ Jan 24th 2008 7:04PM]

I agree with souravgh

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Jan 24th 2008 4:15PM]

I'm from america but I visit relatives back in india. Everytime time I'm there I buy a phone for communicating with everyone. BSNL and MTNL ar by far the worst I've had. Reliance and vodafone are probably the best. Airtel is not that bad either.

[Abhishek @ Jan 26th 2008 1:18PM]

BSNL is the best service provider in India. They provide connectivity in every city, town, village and hamlet. They do not believe in fooling their customers by charging HIDDEN CHARGES or loading them with unwanted services and then raising huge bills.

[scudie @ Jan 24th 2008 11:49AM]

'Wateen Telecom is the Abu Dhabi Group's latest venture in Pakistan. After the successful launch of Warid Telecom in Pakistan, which has a subscriber base of over 10 million customers in 145 cities..'

10 million? Thats 1 lakh connections. BSNL has 30 Lakh subscribers. Thats 300 million, 1/3rd the population of India.

Thats a difference of magnitude. I hate to turn this page into a indo-pak slugfest, but this had to be pointed out.

Rolling out technology in cities is no big deal. Making it work for 300 million people with a minimum quality of service is. You would understand BSNL's achievement better if i told you that cellular networks now connect some of the most remote villages in India, places which do not have electricity. Villagers go once a week to the nearby village to charge their Nokia 1108's.

BSNL has the experience to make technology work for the benefit of a huge number of people. WiMax will power Indian villages en masse into the Internet age.

One small thing.. BSNL is not a private company. It is owned by the the Indian govt and not by some sheik in Dubai.

[Rex @ Jan 24th 2008 12:42PM]

scudie, i would hate a indo-pak "slugfest", but i think i understand what saad ment, its just that i too was surprised when wateen apparently dished out the tech before india, thats all
btw wateen is ripping people off, and your claim that bsnl will help bring tech to the masses, well no offense, but i doubt anybody thinks of anything but profit...still, as you pointed out, its a govt owned company, so they just might;-)

[ag @ Jan 25th 2008 2:18PM]

you moron

1 lakh = 100 000

1 crore = 10 000 000

total wireline connections in india = about 40 000 000. BSNL has about 32 000 000.

since no one has asked the obvious question, i will. WHAT FREQUENCY BAND IS THIS NETWORK USING? standard 3.5 ghz is occupied. if they build outside the international standard band, this will be prohibitively expensive, even for the indian gubmint.

[Nash @ Jan 26th 2008 5:07PM]

10 million is 100 lakhs
30 Lakhs is 3 million. Nowhere near the population of India my friend

[Vinay @ Jan 24th 2008 5:09PM]

Like I mentioned earlier, Reliance, a private company in India, has had Wimax operations running since June 2006.

[ag @ Jan 25th 2008 2:19PM]

lol running. you mean "used in a few places"

[Vinay @ Jan 27th 2008 11:35AM]

Yes. WiMax has been running for over a year in Bangalore and Pune. The only reason why it is not popular is because the rival BSNL has the lowest tariffs.


WiMax is present in most areas of the two cities I mentioned. Reliance is building towers at the rate of 3 per month, to facilitate the demand. You can look up reviews on the service from a lot of users.