Asia Express - Data Communications
WiMAX Development in Asia February 22-28
February 28, 2010
- India's BSNL launched the country's first urban commercial mobile WiMAX service in Kerala on February 27, Indian Express reported. Overall, a total of 900 base transceiver stations are being deployed in Kerala. In the first phase, BSNL has made an investment of one billion Rupees (US$21.7 million; US$1=46.1 Rupees) in constructing 450 base transceiver stations to cover major cities, district headquarters, and important towns. Another 25 base transceiver stations have been commissioned to cover Ernakulam City and Tripunithura, Kalamassery, Aluva, and Angamaly Muncipalities. Another 59 are expected to be commissioned in the near future.

- China's Huawei Technologies has inked a WiMAX equipment supply contract with KT Telecom of Korea, according to a Xinhua News report on February 24. The deal is valued at around US$182 million. Meanwhile, Huawei is also slated to provide 700 WiMAX base stations for Indian carrier BSNL so as to complete the deployment of BSNL's WiMAX network by the end of March 2010.