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Sprint's Global WiMAX Strategy - Is India Just the Beginning?
Sprint plans a WiMAX management consulting company to advise services to operators in India.
Sprint's WiMAX division Xohm (set to merge with Clearwire later this year)
plans to introduce a management company that will offer consulting services
to India's telecom operators on the subject of WiMAX.
This is significant as India is a potentially huge market for WiMAX services.
The country already enjoys widespread wireless penetration, but its networks are
built on older 2G services. India plans a major spectrum auction for
January 2009 and many Telcos in the country are considering whether or not to
offer 3G or WiMAX services if they win spectrum. Planned spectrum auctions
would be in the 2.3 GHz to 2.4 GHz ranges and be sold in 20 MHz blocks.
Clearly Sprint feels that it has expertise in major deployments of WiMAX and
intends to offer managed services and network operations. It also offers
Sprint a platform to help local Telcos lobby for the WiMAX approach to
delivering broadband. Its current relationships with Tata Communications,
Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Reliance make for a good springboard.
Further
reports indicate that Sprint itself might bid for spectrum in the Indian market,
although they are denying any finalized plans to do so.
Much will turn on how well the Clearwire deployment in the combined Sprint/Clearwire
spectrum goes. How fast deployments happen, how many markets and people
will be covered and of course, how many customers elect the service.
Tim Sanders
www.TheFinalMile.net
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