NAMITHA JAGADEESH
A combination of wireless technologies could make broadband access cheaper for Indian consumers in the long run. Proxim Wireless, a US-based broadband wireless solution provider, has developed a product that combines Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Mesh and WiMAX technologies in one box. MeshMAX, the integrated device, will be launched in India by September 2007, says Pankaj Manglik, president and COO, Proxim Wireless.
With the government ruling out unbundling of cables, broadband penetration in India may be driven by adopting WiMAX for last mile connectivity. But using WiMAX to provide broadband directly to homes is expensive, and a combination of Wi-Fi at the consumer-end and WiMAX for backhaul may drive down costs, both for the operator and the consumer.
Typically, WiMAX is designed for long distances (say a 10-km radius), while Wi-Fi is meant for shorter distances. The Mesh component in MeshMAX allows the different Wi-Fi-connected devices to communicate with each other, forming a network.
In a market like India, this gives operators flexibility in scaling up capacity depending on demand. MeshMAX aims to drive down opex by up to 30 per cent for operators.
