Massive WiMax Network for India

An anonymous reader writes "Engadget reports that the largest Indian telecom company is planning to build a mobile WiMax network covering three states on the subcontinent capable of serving 250 million people. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is leaning on Soma Networks to build the broadband-speed network in response to government requirement that 20 million broadband lines be in service by 2010." Meanwhile I can't even get cable. Maybe it's time to move to India.

Not the first one though

[NakNomik]

The largest private company in India (Reliance) has soft-launched [convergence.in] WiMax for consumers in some parts of Bangalore... and a quick search on Google reveals users are not very happy [wordpress.com]. SIFY, Aircel and VSNL already offer WiMax for corporate customers in some parts of the country..
More here [wimax.com]

3G might be winning out rather than WiMax in India

[ScorpFromHell]

Computer penetration is not as good as mobiles in India. Also a 3g mobile is far cheaper (~ $200) than a computer (~ $300).

The common man is more comfortable with using a mobile than a computer.

If enough mobile apps are made available for most of the stuff that the common man requires it might be possible that 3g phones win over the wimax connected phones.

In addition to the apps like feed readers, gmail, google maps, browsers, there need to be applications that can enable the common man to bank, pay bills, shop, get weather updates (atleast warnings), get various examination results (believe it or not, this is a big business for small time entrepreneurs in the rural districts), make bookings in trains, buses, etc.

Re:Tongue in cheek to the submitter

[stonewolf]

Well, I was one of those people doing high level design working in the R&D department of my company. I did a lot of research and design and a fair about of coding for the products we were developing.

One day I came in and found out that all the US employees of the company were being laid off. The owners of the company had found a software company in India that they could just buy for nothing and moved *all* the work, including R&D, to India. I guess that is at least one data point against the idea that only the grunt work has moved to India.

The first year I was unemployed I was able get a few interviews and some contract working running doing testing and one gig helping a company figure out how incompetent the US development staff was. (There are a lot of people all over the world who can write a program but are not qualified to design so much as a turd.)

The second year there were fewer contract jobs and interviews.

The third year I retrained as a teacher. After the third year the *only* company that has shown any interest in hiring me was an Indian company that was desperate enough for experienced people to offer to pay my relocation to India. After my kids are out of college my wife and I are seriously considering moving to India or China. I know a couple of people in my situation who are now living like kings pulling down what would be considered good US salaries, being paid in Euros, living in India and China.

Now I make a good wage (for an Indian) teaching people in the US what "click and drag" means. Believe it or not, but a *huge* portion of the people graduating from high school in the US have never used a PC and are scared shitless of having to use one. An even bigger portion of people over thirty do not know what "click and drag" means.

So, lets cut the crap about the quality of the jobs going to India. The only reason Indians aren't getting those jobs is that so many of them do not have the experience to do them. In India those jobs are being filled by Americans and Europeans with decades of experience. Not to mention the huge number of Indians and Chinese who went to school in the US and have worked here for decades who are now going back to start, run, or do high level work, in India and China.

Stonewolf

Re:Tongue in cheek to the submitter

[Tablizer]

I think India has come a LONG way in the past 20 years and I really hope that it fulfills its destiny as a major economic force in the world in the near future.

Me too. We need more strong democracies.

I personally am anti-US or perhaps more specifically anti-Bush

Keep in mind that half the US population can't stand Bush either. He has tricked the other half using simplistic logic and religious games. I'm sure India will have its share of nightmare politicians. Democracy sometimes burps loudly.

and snigger every time the US has another finger slip from its tenuous position as the "world leader".

Just be careful what you wish for. The US's foreign policy is dominated more by incompetence than an attempt at "taking over the world". However, a different super-power may want more of the second.

But a strong India as a counter-weight to the US would be a nice thing. Who knows, if wages go up in India, then perhaps you will start outsourcing to us. Or, at least stuff will be more balanced out. It will be an interesting fusion of cultures.