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Broadband penetration has not been able to taste the kind of success that was expected from it. WiMax, thus, can be a solution for an emerging market like India, where there is a clear dearth of a robust and widespread network infrastructure for delivering broadband across the country.

In the current scenario, WiMax seems to be a realistic commercial solution to widen the market, especially in the areas where there is poor or no wired infrastructure.

Because of the ability to provide connections without wires, WiMax deployment can help service providers and operators lower the cost of providing last mile connectivity. However, low PC penetration, licensing, stability of WiMax products, cost effectiveness, and maturing of technology are some challenges that need to be overcome to enhance WiMax implementation.

Market Leaders
According to VOICE&DATA estimates the total size of the WiMax market, including both licensed and unlicensed products, has grown from Rs 88 crore in FY 2006-07 to Rs 94.5 crore in FY 2007-08, registering a 7.4% growth. However, for a speedy development of broadband in the country, it is imperative to roll out WiMax in a better way, considering the market opportunities present in the country.

According to VOICE&DATA estimates, Telsima has emerged as the largest vendor for WiMax equipments, with a whopping market share of over 74% in FY 2007-08. It is currently working with two large private operators namely, Tata Communications (previously VSNL) and Reliance.

The other major players in the market include Alvarion, Airspan, Proxim, and Aperto. Further more players like Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Motorola, Cisco, Nokia Siemens, Ericsson, ZTE, Sloka Telecom, and Gemini Communications are also making a presence in the market.

Major Gains
The market saw some significant developments in terms of agreements and roll-out plans of operators for the deployment of WiMax in FY 2007-08.

In 2008, Telsima was selected by Tata Communications to provide WiMax solutions for its broadband wireless network in India. Telsima will provide a comprehensive WiMax solution including base station and subscriber station systems, customer provisioning systems, and network management systems (NMS).

Tata is proposing to deploy around 1,000 base stations by the year-end to support enterprise broadband services in hundred and ten cities and consumer services in eighteen cities. The company is targeting to capture 200,000 customers in the retail segment alone in FY 2008-09.

Alvarion, which stood second with revenue of Rs 7 crore, is presently looking to extend its presence with the support of its partners, Cyberstar and Wireless Tech, by bringing advanced wireless broadband solutions adapted specifically to local frequencies in the Indian market.

The company is offering its high-performance BreezeACCESS VL for point-to-multipoint and BreezeNET B for point-to-point connectivity to meet the expectations of the market for optimized solutions at 5.825-5.875 GHz frequency bands. State wide area network (SWAN) projects and vertical markets including ISPs, public safety, surveillance, etc. are expected to benefit from these products.

Another important player, Proxim Wireless, also had some significant customer wins in FY 2007-08 and emerged as one of the key players in the WiMax equipment market. The company has been selected by Tata Communications as a supplier for Wi-Fi mesh and point-to-multipoint solutions. Proxim also introduced converged Wi-Fi mesh and WiMax solution - Mesh Max.

The company is also working with Sakhti PURA to supply rural areas and remote villages in India with wireless broadband connectivity to provide tele-education, healthcare, and other information and content.

Sify, one of the largest Internet, network, and e-commerce companies in India has also deployed Proxim's 5.8 GHz Tsunami MP.11, a WiMax capable product line as its core communications platform for its mobility features and last mile access in India.

While Airspan is presently working with Railtel and few other small ISPs, Aperto has projects with Tata Communications and some of the small ISP's.

Companies like Motorola, Intel, Samsung, and Nokia are supporting WiMax technology and have a dedicated roadmap of infrastructure devices and other building blocks.

Motorola is making significant investments in commercializing WiMax to provide affordable wireless broadband to people. Presently, the company has 19 commercial WiMax contracts and over 75 WiMax engagements across 43 countries.

Gemini Communications has successfully migrated the MMDS network to WiMax in several cities including Chennai and Pune. The operation involves switching over citywide active users from the existing MMDS network to the newly laid WiMax network.

Sloka Telecom, founded in 2004 as a provider of broadband wireless solutions to address the needs and requirements of cellular operators and network equipment vendors in emerging markets, is also operating on profits for the first time. The company has won a contract to supply equipment to city municipality in France. WiMax fixed/nomadic products and solutions are the main contributors for the revenue of the company.