Telecommunications

June 14, 2007
Telrad and Wi-Max go hand in hand!

NEW DELHI -- Telrad Networks has been developing carrier-grade communications equipment for more than half a century. Telrad provides development capabilities that focus on integration of core technologies into standardised, Tier-1 carrier-class products. An organisation devoted to providing a highly flexible Development team, allowing its partners and customers a high level of control in the development cycle and product roadmap. Particularly in remote areas where the cost per user should be kept to a minimum, Telrad's Commatch 6004 provides a low-cost alternative to a softswitch.  The solution is field-proven, providing fully-featured voice over Wi-Max, carrying over features available on the TDM switch to the new IP network, with seamless interoperability.

Convergence Plus spoke to Nir  Gazit, product manager, Telrad Networks about how Telrad has been facilitating Wi-Max deployments with their Commatch 6004 SIP to V5.2 Gateway, which provides immediate implementation of voice over Wi-Max and other IP-based networks.

Convergence Plus: How has been the company's success rate so far? What have been its recent projects, both within the country and globally?

Nir Gazit: We aren’t able to talk about our activities in India yet, but there is activity that we are hoping we can discuss in the near future. Worldwide, we have seen live deployments in Namibia and in several Eastern European countries over the past six months. Since in most areas of the world, WiMAX is still in trial phases, we have a number of trials going on rather than live deployments. As WiMAX deployments grow, we will see our solution implemented worldwide.

CP: What are the key market drivers and business opportunities for Wi-Max?

NG: We are seeing very different usage of Wi-Max and different business models used, depending on what type of operator is using Wi-Max, and on what has been deployed before then. Wi-Max is really all about extending connectivity beyond where telcos have been able to reach until now.

In some regions, there is already good access to phone and internet, but there are some holes in the network, where it wasn’t economical to provide access, or not high-bandwidth at any rate. So in these locations, you see Wi-Max deployed as a 'filler'. That is, where an established operator has holes in the network, they use Wi-Max to provide coverage. So in this model, operators are looking at less densely-populated areas. Here the driver is full coverage with high bandwidth at a relatively low cost.

In geographies with less infrastructure, such as you see in much of India, you are going to see Wi-Max deployed for covering a wide area. One of the great opportunities we have seen in Africa, for example, is that using a wireless technology not only reduces cost, but it reduces exposure of the physical plant to damage. So again, Wi-Max is about low-cost, wide range coverage that would be impractical using fixed-line technologies.

CP: What are the key elements of Wi-Max technology and what will be the applications for Wi-Max technology?

NG: What we have seen with Wi-Max and other wireless technologies is that there is no 'killer application' but that a basket of services are being offered. Obviously, voice is a very big part of that. In areas that have no coverage today, the users aren’t looking for sophisticated services; they just want to be able to place a voice call to find out the market price of a sack of rice. Taking into account that cost is very much an issue in this kind of deployments, solutions that leverage existing infrastructure and save capital expenditures are an important part of the mix.

CP: What is the current state of Wi-Max technology and equipment deliverables timelines?

NG: Well, as a vendor of equipment that is fully ready and field-tested, we can see that the deployments are going much more slowly than the market demand. Today, we really are already seeing very successful deployments of Wi-Max networks, fully configured and operational, with data and voice services. The equipment is out there. The main obstacles to deployment are issues like regulation and changes in the standards. Regulation and spectrum availability issues are obstacles in many areas of the world. As far as standards go, most trials are with fixed (802.16d) Wi-Max, but many mass deployments are waiting for mobile (802.16e) equipment to be field-ready.

CP: How will Mobile Wi-Max compete with 3G and other wireless technologies? 

NG: For a while, the industry talked about whether Wi-Max would be the future, or whether it would be EV-DO or some other type of technology, but today the consensus seems to be that these technologies are going to co-exist. Different markets simply have different needs and different cost/benefit scales.

Again, with Wi-Max, it’s about connectivity. A Wi-Max base station can give you a 70 kilometers coverage radius. With 3G, today, you are talking much shorter range, certainly less than 5 kilometers. There really is no comparison, when you are talking about giving the maximum coverage to areas that simply do not yet have access.
Also, Wi-Max really offers an unprecedented throughput of data, and the basic network infrastructure is IP-based, which offers a better cost structure and a much wider range of available services.

CP: How do service providers plan to deploy fixed Wi-Max networks to complement existing broadband services?

NG: When talking about using Wi-Max to complement existing broadband, mostly it is going to be used to expand coverage to areas where broadband hasn’t yet reached, at least as a first stage. A similar trend can be seen with voice. Where existing operators don’t have fixed or mobile infrastructure in place, Wi-Max base stations provide a very wide area of coverage, and a way to provide both voice and data, integrating into the existing networks.

CP: How to ensure a solid migration path to Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) from Fixed Wi-Max?

NG: The migration path from fixed to mobile Wi-Max is a major industry concern. Some vendors are talking about equipment that could be upgraded simply by a software upgrade from a remote location. That’s an exciting concept, but at the end of the day, what probably will happen is that operators’ initial deployments will be small, and the major deployments will happen once mobile Wi-Max is solidified.

CP: Are there some more projects in the pipeline? What are your investment and expansion plans?

NG: Currently, Telrad’s Commatch series includes a number of gateways. By nature, gateways are products that are using during times of transition. Fortunately, there are always transitions going on in our industry. Right now we are working on a number of additional gateway products for the future.