WiMAX Goes Large

Tim Hewitt, Director of Regulatory and Spectrum Policy, WiMAX Forum

Editor’s Note: This blog first appeared in the WiMAX Times

Most people now know something about WiMAX – today’s most formidable mobile broadband experience. WiMAX is designed and built bottom-up and top-down to connect people to the Internet and to give them a second-to-none online experience, close to that of wireline broadband. However, not so many are aware how well WiMAX is spreading around the globe. In fact the WiMAX Forum and analysts Informa Telecoms & Media track nearly 500 WiMAX deployments of various types in more than 140 countries around the world (see www.wimaxmaps.org). This number is growing rapidly.

If you are in Asia, then mobile WiMAX is, or will very soon be, deployed by an operator in your country. Some 14 Asian countries have provided spectrum specifically for WiMAX, or more generally, for wireless broadband, which is being used for WiMAX. These include important markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan and Malaysia. Recently, Indonesia was added to the list as it completed a radio spectrum auction for 30 regional WiMAX licenses in 15 regions. It looks like India will be next – one operator already has spectrum in 19 market areas, and an auction is imminent for three further licenses in each area.

A big surprise is the growth of WiMAX licenses in Africa and the Middle East. Recent data from the WiMAX Forum shows WiMAX licenses in place in around 50 countries in the region, with regulatory discussions underway in at least 12 more. The spread of WiMAX in Africa will help considerably to bring great social, economic, health and lifestyle improvements to millions of people.

In North America, WiMAX continues to spread across the major cities. I recently visited Portland, Ore., and it was good to see folks sitting outdoors with their WiMAX-enabled laptops and netbooks enjoying some good food, wine and music – but still working and playing online with a true broadband experience!

Further south, in Latin America, some major countries are having trouble going the last mile on releasing additional Mobile WiMAX Spectrum. However, respected analyst source wimaxday reported back in May 2008 that Telmex International was going to operate in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In each of these countries, Telmex International owns WiMAX spectrum and intends to create an exciting WiMAX presence. As evidence, Mobile WiMAX is now available in Chile, and Telmex is covering 98 percent of the population. The scene is clearly set for the other big markets in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Columbia, etc., to demand the same benefits.

What’s happening in Europe? Unfortunately, there are long delays in spectrum availability in the 2.6GHz band across much of Europe. It is extremely disappointing to see European broadband users being denied access to mobile WiMAX. The main source of delay seems to be the United Kingdom, as many other European countries were watching progress on the United Kingdom’s proposed flexible auction of the 2.6GHz band, but the U.K.’s plans are again back in the melting pot and under debate. However, there are highlights. In Italy, the knowledgeable consumer association Altroconsumo found that, in four cities tested, WiMAX yielded average download speeds twice those of the HSDPA average. The Italian market is clearly feeling the benefit of WiMAX. A real boost has been the recent launch of mobile WiMAX networks in Russia. WiMAX network operator Yota recently launched in Moscow and St Petersburg, and more cities will come online in 2009 and even more in 2010. This is what can be created when open-minded regulators meet enterprising new operators with incredible new mobile broadband technology – WiMAX!

Tim Hewitt is the director of regulatory and spectrum policy for the WiMAX Forum and the chairman of its Regulatory Working Group. Hewitt previously was with BT plc for more than 45 years, and at the time of his retirement from BT he had been head of radio spectrum policy for BT for more than five years. Prior to this role, he had a radio-centric career within BT, with professional engineering and senior management roles in terrestrial and Earth-space radio propagation, antenna measurements, digital radio system design, computer-based planning and frequency co-ordination tools and finally spectrum management.