I try to keep a record of my observations of wireless things happening around the world, in particular in Malaysia. My interests are broadband wireless access (BWA), 3G cellular communications, wireless sensor networks and vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET).

Friday, May 23, 2008

KL, A Wireless City

According to Bernama, under an MOU signed with MCMC, Packet One Networks (P1) will be setting up many WiFi access points covering Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley with the aim of increasing broadband coverage to 90 percent of the population by 2010.


Meanwhile, according to a newspaper report recently, P1 will be providing wireless access service by using a combination of WiMax and WiFi technologies.
P1, which is one of the 4 Wimax license holders. The other WiMax license holders are Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace Dotcom Sdn Bhd and Redtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd. Bizsurf, Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd (formerly known as MIB Comm Sdn Bhd) and Asiaspace Dotcom will cover Peninsular Malaysia while Redtone-CNX Broadband will serve Sabah and Sarawak. According to the original plan, these companies are supposed to provide WiMax service by end of 2007.

However, it is a joke to realise at the later stage that there is no certified WiMax mobile equipment at 2.3GHz (probably refer to the reasonable cost equipment).
Now, instead of providing WiMax broadband wireless access service, these companies are now using WiMax as backbone instead. This has defeat the original purpose of MCMC to award WiMax licences at 2.3GHz, i.e., for mobile broadband wireless access.

In this WirelessKL project, P1 is in fact using WiMax as the backhaul solution.

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3 comments:

starwing said...

"This has defeat the original purpose of MCMC to award WiMax licences at 2.3GHz, i.e., for mobile broadband wireless access."

Relax pal, usually only partial of the spectrum is used for backhaul. There are usually remaining spectrum for the access.

If you're really into wireless, you should know WIMAX 802.11e is still no where near wide deployment. Delaying it will help everybody, the equipment supplier, the operator, the end user all the grief of upgrade and patching of software. It is common for a new technology to take time to achieve ubiquitous coverage. It happen in 3G, it is now happening in Wimax, just stay put and hang in there...

Anonymous said...

from my opinion P1 deploying wifi in fact is under a program with DBKL to wired up internet for KL area; where money came from the government! (consipracy?, maybe malaysia today can look into it), and another strategical move is to promote their 'seamless connectivity' with their InTouch connection manager a software client that enable a seamless continuous connectivity from wimax to wifi when these their user go indoor you see. 16e ... REALLY have issue indoor coverage, penetration issue too. you will see the difference once the WIMAX is fully deploy in P1.

Anonymous said...

75million USD to deploy wimax in phase 1 of P1 network that is 400 plus sites? all the money down the drain!? or to some one's pocket. A wireless modem that cost MYR999, that is USD300 a modem?! ridiculous! HSPA offer more viable cost to bandwidth savings than this wimax; so what? if P1 has a rummz portal to offer paid services!?

and given to a company who is going down hill in wireless market share except US and France!? Is P1 run by f**ls or like the country itself is too corrupted in making decision and moreover coming from a public listed company, even more astonished me.