15 Oct :The Minister of Communications and IT Thiru A. Raja today announced introduction of WiMax embedded laptop computers to extend computing power and connectivity to tertiary towns and hinterland in the country. He was inaugurating the global WiMax Exposition cum conference in New Delhi organized by WiMax Forum in association with ASSOCHAM. The laptops with Intel chips inside from computer manufacturers like LENOVO and ASUS are expected to stimulate the growth of wireless Broadband in India at a much faster pace.
The first Indian WiMax Expo cum Conference has been organized following the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum auction policy announced by the Department of Telecom. Mr. Raja called upon the WIMAX industry to ensure that WiMax spectrum is put to best use by the operators to offer the Next Generation Internet services like Web casting, Video download, Music download etc.
The Minister hoped that wireless broadband and possibly WiMax would meet the needs of BPO Industry, IT outsourcing Industry, BFSI segment, Education, Tourism Travel and Hospitality industries, who have been demanding high speed internet services capability and “Anywhere” internet capability, once the WiMax networks are rolled out. He observed that operators need to ensure affordability, accessibility and good quality of service, by making these services to reach different segments of the society i.e. Residential, SMB and Corporate segment.
Quoting studies by ASSOCHAM and CII, the Minister said, broadband access impact during 2010 to 2020 would generate about 2 million direct employment and about 50 million indirect employment and yield benefits in excess of $70 billion in productivity improvement, etc. The Minister underlined the recent steps taken by the government to transform Narrowband India to Broadband India.
The theme of the conference is transforming narrowband India to broadband India with Internet airborne”. Leaders from the WiMax industry, global experts are attending the expo.
WiMAX allows subscribers access to all applications available over wired connections with the added advantage of mobility and portability. With the current influx of WiMAX-enabled mobile devices into the market, an emergence of new applications especially suited for mobile access is expected. Robust QoS and low latency make WiMAX especially well suited for real-time applications like VoIP, content streaming, online gaming, and vertical applications such as those for safety and surveillance. Broadcast applications can also be supported through the Multicast Broadcast Service.
WiMAX Forum announced that they are planning a WiMAX Applications Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. IIT Delhi has a functioning WiMAX test bed and serves as an ideal location to host this lab. Created with the backing of the Indian industry and DoT, this lab will focus on enhancing WiMAX quality of experience and WiMAX community services for underserved areas. IIT Delhi already has active programs examining IT Community services, including telemedicine, distance learning and e-government. These applications are of particular interest to the Indian market, and will be explored more fully through the creation of this lab.