I’d like to do a quick status check on the current state of Wireless Broadband market in India. [ 149 mn Data Connections on GPRS Network is excluded] Indians can subscribe to wireless broadband on 3 types of networks – WiMax, EVDO and 3G HSPDA.
WiMax in India – Tata Communications and Reliance Communications deployed WiMax Broadband networks in unlicensed spectrum in select cities 3 years ago but gave up on the same in early 2009. Both being CDMA operators, switched focus to EVDO, a natural progression for Data Services on CDMA technology. BSNL has WiMax in bits and pieces but no nationwide roll out and a strategy yet. Total WiMax Subscribers in India is less than 200,000.
EVDO based Broadband – Tata Indicom launched Tata Photon+ broadband on EVDO early 2009. BSNL rolled out similar service about the same time, as they have abundant spectrum for EVDO services. RCom followed the footsteps and launched similar broadband service – Reliance Netconnect Broadband+ in Q1-2009. MTS a new entrant jumped on the bandwagon and launched MTS MBlaze in Q4-2009. Virgin Mobile India, MVNO on the Tata Teleservices network has also started offering Wireless Broadband Data Plans – vFlash. Together, EVDO broadband subscriber number is estimated to be around 1.2 mn. [ Ref – 2009, Qualcomm Data]
3G HSPDA Broadband – Deployed only by BSNL and MTNL. Can surf the web at high speeds on your smart phone or by connecting to your traditional Laptop / PC formats. BSNL at the end of March-2010 had 1 mn 3G subscribers while MTNL has 400,000 3G subscribers taking the total to ~1.5 mn 3G subscribers.
LTE / WiMax / 4G – Cowboy Neal 🙂 Wait for the Technology to Evolve.
MIMO OFDM – Tikona WiBro is the only service provider on this technology. Company is hopeless on corporate communications front and won’t respond to e-mails. Not sure how many subscribers they have.
Sify is Wireless till the Cable Operator and then it is wired till the customer premises. Anyway, wouldn’t recommend it at all as I have had terrible experience. Have i missed any other Wireless Broaband Services in India ? Let me know.
India at the end of April-2010 had 9 mn wired broadband subscribers. Thus total broadband subscribers in India as on date is ~12 mn. The number will surpass my prediction of 12 mn by end of 2010 made in Sept-2009.