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Comstar Debuts Mobile WiMAX Network in Russia
Comstar soft launches a mobile WiMAX network in Moscow this week. Initial subscribers to access network free of charge until commercial launch.
Comstar, which serves Moscow and 66 other Russian cities, has announced plans to
deploy a fully commercial WiMAX network in Moscow in the second quarter of 2009.
Comstar has already invested approximately US$20 million in the network project
in 2008 alone.
This announcement celebrates the soft launch of its new 802.16e network
technology service. The full network will operate in the 2.5 GHz to 2.7
GHz range and is based upon a Nortel solution. It is an open question at
this point what effect Nortel's recent bankruptcy could have on the project.
My guess is none, but I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.
There aren't a lot of technical details in the release about the network, but
the company does state that customers in the test phase will get access to
Comstar's mobile WiMAX network free of charge until the commercial launch.
After that, subscribers pay RUR 4,600.00 for a USB WiMAX device and a monthly
fee of RUR 200.00 for ongoing service.
This is an important WiMAX announcement, but in WiMAX terms Comstar is pretty
far behind in terms of footprint in Russian. Enforta is already serving
several dozen Russian cities and has more planned. Other companies have
also moved strongly to secure footholds in the Russian marketplace.
I do believe the Russian WiMAX landscape will be hugely important for 4G
services in general and WiMAX in particular in the coming years. What do
you think?
Tim Sanders
www.TheFinalMile.net
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Comstar Debuts Mobile WiMAX Network in Russia
Comstar is planning to target consumers. I'm not certain the $20M capital investment suggested by Comstar can provide reasonable WiMAX indoor coverage in Moscow given the very thick walls Russian use in their buildings (its cold there). I'm less certain there is a market. Russian's are very price elastic and the other mass market wireless project in Russia ('Golden WiFi') was a big commercial bomb even though they installed something like 6000 WiFi access points.
The Comstar / Yota battle for the mobile consumer wireless market could end up to be REAL short.
Nigel