TMCnet News
Maravedis and Tonse Predict WiMAX Subscribers in India to Exceed 13 Million by 2013MONTREAL & BANGALORE, India --(Business Wire)-- 3G and WiMAX deployments will generate a reasonable user base over the next 5 years, before noticeable LTE deployments make an impact in India, according to Maravedis, who in partnership with leading Indian telecom market research and analysis firm Tonse Telecom, released the 3rd Edition of "India Wireless Broadband and WiMAX Market Analysis and Forecasts, 2009-2013." "Despite delayed spectrum auctions impeding a tremendous economic driver, 3G/WiMAX network activity is on a roll," said Sridhar Pai, Tonse Telecom CEO. "For the severely underserved Indian broadband market, demand for wireless broadband connectivity continues across all sectors: retail, SOHO, SMEs and large enterprises alike." The big push will be seen post-spectrum auctions. "However, aided by pre-allocation in the 2.5GHz band, incumbents are already developing national rollout plans for 3G and WiMAX," said Maravedis CEO Adlane Fellah. Despite the global economic situation, demand for telecommunications services in India continues to fuel significant growth. "In 2008, approximately 10,000 BWA/WiMAX base station sectors were deployed in total, serving about 300,000 BWA/WiMAX subscribers," Pai noted. "Wireless CAPEX has already reached US$ sub-100 levels per line, confirming the primary transport technology will be wireless," added Fellah. KEY FINDINGS: Internet access remains the big Indian broadband driver, with wireless broadband becoming the clear option owing to economics and ease of deployment. BWA operators have yet to resolve many service quality issues. India is expected to see the world's lowest end-to-end cost for WiMAX services. Computer penetration remains low and the Indian telecom sector operates in a volume-driven market. Innovative business models such as public-private partnerships will emerge, together with low cost devices and a vibrant ecosystem. Maravedis is a leading research and analysis firm focusing on BWA technologies including WiMAX, LTE, 3G, TD-CDMA, and WiFi. Tonse Telecom provides market entry, custom research, investment advisory and product consulting services to wireless and telecom companies both in India and overseas. |
