Johannesburg, 24 Jun 2009
WiMax is in the news again. Huawei Technologies, China`s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, has said it expects WiMax sales to double to $1 billion in 2010 as emerging markets scramble to provide their communications-starved populations with broadband access.
In South Africa, WiMax has long been touted as the best way to provide broadband services to rural areas, but it`s increasingly also being offered in cities as well, as a relatively inexpensive, quick-to-install alternative to fixed-line access for businesses and consumers alike.
So, should you go WiMax? It depends on your applications and if they are mission-critical or not. WiMax has some powerful advantages, notably that it is flexible and quick to install. If you need to get a new branch up and running quickly with a broadband network connection, WiMax is an option worth considering.
But WiMax is not suitable for all needs and is weakest in the area of carrying voice calls. To carry voice successfully you need far higher levels of reliability, stability and service quality than you do for data. The International Telecommunications Union`s Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is an internationally accepted standard for rating the quality of voice communications. A rating of three is "slightly annoying" and users will typically reject anything less than a score of 3.8.
Voice calls carried over WiMax may be able to meet that quality requirement, but only if the link "Class of Service" provisioned and is free of congestion. Remember that a WiMax router installed on your premises is only the first link in a long chain of devices and networks that must work together to deliver your telephone call, or your data, to its intended destination. It only takes one weak link to break the whole chain.
This is one reason why converged service providers have an advantage in a market that is getting increasingly crowded with technology alternatives. Every time there is a change of ownership in the telecommunications chain, there is a new opportunity for things to go wrong - and conversely, the more of the chain is owned and managed by a single service provider, the better and more easily they can manage it.
In the end, whether WiMax is the right technology for your business is probably the wrong question to be asking. Technologies come and go - but your need for stable, reliable telecommunications services will not. Instead of wondering which technology to use, rather think about what services you need, what quality of service you want and what you`re prepared to pay for it. Then choose a service provider who can successfully manage complex technologies and networks to deliver what you need.
Share