WiMAX comes of age

With WiMAX viewed as the next big thing in the wireless arena, WiMAX MEGNA revealed the various merits and challenges the technology might offer operators across the region.

WiMAX has gained significant attention among the global ICT community in the past year, with many industry insiders touting the technology as an ideal means of transmitting vast amounts of wireless data over large areas.

But while the technology has huge potential, many industry insiders remain doubtful about how commercially successful the technology will be.

The technology came under the spotlight at the recent WiMAX MEGNA event, held in Dubai in March. The conference, fully endorsed by the WiMAX Forum and held over two days on March 10-11 in Dubai, saw over 150 attendees gather to discuss the latest developments in WiMAX.

Amid the ongoing liberalisation of GCC telco markets, the MENA region is increasingly seen as a ripe ground for WiMAX deployment, given the lack of wire-line infrastructure, the often problematic and sparse terrain, and its plug-and-play type offering - which compares favourably to the inefficient provisioning and poor customer support of wireline players.

Another reason why WiMAX is increasingly viewed as the next big thing in the region is household broadband penetration, which is remains low in many key markets.

Operator interest in the MEGNA region is easily gauged; typical WiMAX 3.5 GHz spectrum prices are among the highest in the world, and vastly exceeds prices in Western markets.

But obstacles still remain to translate this potential market into actual demand; many GCC countries still possess a dominant incumbent, and unequal distribution of income prohibits the propagation of broadband services to the mass market.

Then there is the issue of internet access, with content filtering across the region.

WiMAX does, nevertheless, appear to be the end-all solution to many of the communications problems in the region.