WiMAX can increase capital efficiency, reduce physical travel, and spur economic growth.

WiMAX is a broadband wireless technology that can deliver 3-7 Mbps/connection to mobile devices and fixed terminals to offer better internet data rate experience than desktop PCs. WiMAX will usher in a revolution in internet access that will eventually migrate users from desktop PCs to shirt pocket or portable terminals. WiMAX can also serve fixed users; much like mobile voice technology is used for wireless local loop. With the announcement of BWA policy by the Indian government, WIMAX is well positioned to enter the Indian market.

WIMAX mobile internet infrastructure will be similar to the current cellular systems. Cell sizes can be up to thirty kilometer cell radius in rural regions by using sufficiently high radio towers and will drop to one kilometer cell radius in typical urban deployments. Mobile internet can also share passive infrastructure with current cellular operators. Mobile internet terminals will range from cell phone-sized handsets that offer voice and internet access, small notebooks/mobile internet devices (MID) to offer more PC-like form factors, fixed terminals, consumer electronics, and wireless sensors like surveillance video cameras.

Any application that runs on IP protocol today (or in the future) can be delivered efficiently over WiMAX. Personal applications may include web searching and browsing, email, instant messaging, bank transactions, online shopping, rail/air booking, streaming video and audio, voice (VoIP), web 2.0, and social networking. WiMAX will be 24x7 accessible with a personal terminal, unlike the PC internet which is restricted to desktops. WiMAX-enabled small enterprises may support new applications such as on-line customer support, online ordering, and e-commerce. Local and city government may support e-governance and security applications.

WiMAX can become the virtual infrastructure - enabling services for 100s of millions of our citizens without the need for physical transportation, making many services paperless, increasing the speed and responsiveness of government and industry to serve public needs, and making capture of on-line metrics to help planning and law enforcement. WiMAX can therefore increase capital efficiency, reduce physical travel, and spur economic growth. WiMAX will enjoy much lower pricing compared to 3G devices, when they enter the Indian market, primarily because of better vendor competition and lower IPR structure. India should formulate policy for early introduction of very low cost (Rs1,500-2,000) personal handset devices

WIMAX is a 4G wireless technology standardized by the IEEE. The current version - 802.16e Release 1 Wave 2 has over 100 networks under roll out worldwide. The standards involve broad international and industry participation. There are over 450 companies inside the WIMAX eco-system with over 30 of them in India. WIMAX incorporates MIMO-OFDMA which is the most efficient for mobile broadband. MIMO was developed by my group at Stanford University, USA in 1993. The leading world supplier of WIMAX silicon for terminals is Beceem Communications, a company with its main R&D team in Bangalore. The main competition for WiMAX standard is 3GPP LTE (Release 8) technology that is likely to be available for deployment in 2011/12. LTE uses virtually identical technology to WIMAX. Also, its cost structure is expected to be higher than WIMAX because 3G technologies have traditionally had very few silicon vendors and have a high IPR cost burden.

India should rapidly follow through with WIMAX spectrum auctions and aim at major roll outs by 4Q 2009. Penetration goals should be 100 million in 3-4 years, which is a very pragmatic aspiration.