The Hindu Business Line : WiMax gets ‘3G technology’ tag

New Delhi, Oct. 19 In yet another setback to existing GSM operators, the International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Assembly in Geneva has decided to include WiMax as a third generation (3G) wireless technology.

ITU is a global telecom standards body under the aegis of the United Nations. The ITU decision had the support of the Indian Government represented by senior officials from the Department of Telecom despite opposition from local GSM players.

Spectrum fears

The Cellular Operators Association of India, representing the GSM operators, has been trying to impress upon DoT to block the international move sponsored by the proponents of WiMax, as they feared that they will have to share scarce spectrum in the 3G band with WiMax service providers.

They have also expressed concern that such a move could create interference with cellular services.

The ITU decision means that WiMax will be part of the 3G family and spectrum allocation will have to be done accordingly. The GSM operators had said that unless it is proven beyond doubt that WiMax can operate in the 3G frequency band without causing interference to existing services, the proposal should not be agreed to.

On the other hand, companies such as Reliance Communication, Motorola, Intel and Nortel had pushed for including WiMax in the 3G band.

Motorola’s Regional Director of Government Relations, Mr Bharat Bhatia, who is participating in the ITU conference at Geneva said, “Inclusion of WiMAX into the IMT-2000 frequency bands is especially important for India as we work to expand the broadband penetration which will bridge the countries digital divide.”

More Stories on : Technology | Telecommunications | Broadband

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page