Wow, everyone is taking about WiMAX…The blogs, the prints, the magazine(coming issue)….Everywhere…..so what the fuss is it all about?
WHAT IS WiMAX?
WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. WiMAX can deliver last mile wireless broadband services in our country. In other words, it can replace streamyx and even the fixed line service itself!!!
WiMAX can deliver high speed Internet services up to 72Mbps over 70km. With just a few WiMAX base station, the whole KL can be covered easily.
The 802.16d is a standard for fixed wireless connectivity(from a base station to a subscriber station where you need a receiver on top of your house) which can offer the non-line-of sight service.
The 802.16e standard is made for Mobile WiMAX. This standard offers high speed Internet to a user’s mobile phone. Mobile WiMAX is not comparable to 3G(384kbps) and also 3.5G(up to 7.2Mbps).
WiMAX Market Highlights
- The worldwide WiMAX equipment market is forecast to increase more than 10-fold between 2006 and 2010, when it will reach almost $5.6 billion
- Mobile WiMAX is forecast to grow to $3.7 billion in 2010, a 5-year CAGR of 201%
- In 4Q06, Alvarion leads in fixed WiMAX equipment revenue share, followed by Redline and Airspan
- Tropos leads in outdoor mesh equipment revenue in 4Q06, followed by Strix and BelAir
Why Malaysians need WiMAX?
NasionCom is currently deploying WiMAX service in Kl since last year. Why? WiMAX is far much better than 3G. Currently, 3G is a failure in Malaysia and there is no question about it. Imagine you are moving in a car while you are watching your favourite show on your notebook or mobile phone(no buffering at all) which supposedly you will be watching it at home(and you are rushing to a meeting now). That’s technology.
Our current national broadband provider has put us 10 years behind countries like South Korea and Singapore. What is taking us so long? Why is there a term “best effort”? and not a promising effort? Why charge us then limit us on the service we use? WHY?
With WiMAX coming in, it does not only gives the Malaysians a new, better technology but also a new hope that things will change as the new WiMAX licenses did not fall on the broadband failures.
Internet is the future. I believe the computer will be replaced by mobile phone someday(its already being replaced now!!), soon everyone in malaysia can say that they have a real so called broadband service at home. In U.S , broadband must have a minimum speed of 200kbps which I believe even this speed cannot be achieved on our main Internet Service Provider’s network, not even half of a day.
WiMAX can offer cheap (even free) voice call where VoIP is also possible(better quality than current fixed line service). With WiMAX, you can even have Video Call service on your WiMAX fixed line telephone. WiMAX is also more secured than WiFi where you can do a transaction on your account(while you are not in front of a computer) or even pay your bills while waiting for your bus!
Dear Malaysian, WiMAX does not only comes with a new technology of broadband service, but also a true broadband service which we should have enjoyed it years ago.
