Wateen Telecom has signed a deal to expand its WiMAX operations to 22 Pakistani cities with a potential market of 30 million people. Wateen’s Pakistani Wimax network is already one of the largest in the world and it is a positive sign to see it growing. Whether they have overcome their financial troubles is another question.
Archive for October, 2008
A while back, Nokia sneak previewed their WiMAX internet tablet. It has now started shipping in the US.
Nokia N810 Wimax internet tablet
The N810 Internet tablet features Wifi support, a large touchscreen and a slide-able QWERTY keyboard. It runs a mobile version of Linux and looks pretty sleek.
The tablet is listed at US$433 (after rebate).
Motorola has signed a multi-year contract with Wi-tribe Pakistan under which it will provide a WiMAX infrastructure and related services. wi-tribe is a joint venture with a number of big names behind it, including Qatar Telecom, and has plans to establish networks across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Wateen Telecom and Mobilink have already made waves with their WiMax offerings. This deal brings another contender to the table and should increase the reach of this technology across Pakistan.
InfoWorld has an interesting review of a recently deployed WiMax network in Reno, and how it performs in real world scenarios.
The results showed WiMax (or OFDM to be more precise) to be fast and reliable, but only if used from a fixed location such as a coffee shop or within an office. The service degrades fast and can’t compete with the likes of 3G when used from fast moving vehicles or trains. It also has limitations when it comes to high-bandwidth uses, such as large videos and 3D gaming.
Nonetheless, the ease-of-use and high performance of WiMax will outweigh its cons and will play a large part in its successful adoption. Expect to see more offerings such as this one, especially in areas where wireless is a more suitable and cost-effective medium than copper or fiber.
