Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, or BSNL, has announced the commercial launch of "BSNL Wireless Broadband" service in the state of Gujarat. For this launch, the state-owned telecommunications company has collaborated with SOMA Networks, provider of WiMAX solutions.
Broadband connectivity will enable users to access high-speed, always-on Internet service in homes and offices. What is special about this wireless service is that it can reach even remote places, since it doesn't require wired infrastructure. The new BSNL Wireless Broadband service offers a range of service plans based on bandwidth rates, providing speeds from 256 kbps to 2 Mbps. Residential plans include two email addresses and 5 MB of storage. Business plans include up to four email addresses, and 5 MB of storage.
The service will be available to users after paying a one-time installation fee of Rs. 750. A 256 Kbps connection with unlimited downloading capacity will cost Rs. 1000 monthly, whereas a 512 Kbps connection with unlimited downloads will cost Rs. 1800 per month. Over the next couple of months, consumers could expect to see a range of interactive services to be introduced, which will include online shopping, banking, and bill payment, and new modes of communication using voice and video chats.
For the youth segment, there will be services such as social networking, sharing of videos, music and photos, and edutainment, to name a few. India has low Internet penetration of around 4.9% (compared with 68% in the US), while broadband penetration is even lower, at less than half a percent. This service will aim to significantly improve India's broadband tele-density, says BSNL's partnering company SOMA.
It has been heard time and again that WiMax is an enabler for many services and can help reduce healthcare costs, improve education, and enhance the reach of Government services to the public -- now is the time to look forward to such developments and assess them. Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) is the first enterprise to benefit from BSNL's broadband service in Gujarat. GIDC will make this service available to industries housed in their estates, and will also use this service in their own administrative offices.
The Indian Government has also underlined the mandate to provide broadband coverage to all secondary schools, public healthcare centers, and village panchayats (rural local bodies) by the end of 2009. Over the next few weeks, this service will be launched in the states of Goa and Andhra Pradesh, to be soon followed by Maharashtra.
You can visit wimax.bsnl.in to know more about BSNL's broadband services, although we can't assure you that you'll get past the ''Welcome to BSNL!!!'' message. Alternatively, call up 18002336600 for information.
BSNL said they were launching WiMAX with SOMA instead this is some old 1990's hotspot technologgy which is using up the spectrum that sposed to be for the WiMAX.
What happened to the WiMAX, if this old technology is being installed people in the coverage area can't be having WiMAX anytime soon.
Why does BSNL get spectrum to install old technologies when India should be leading with new technologies like WiMAX?
Some good reporting, nit just press releases is needed,
Thanks you
I have all ready internet service provider in kutch , I have franchise to ishan infotech, but goverment desution very good idioa and bsnl start for wireless conection , I am intersted wireless broadbend conection franchises,
plz send me requred document , i sending my document,
IPS experiance more then 4 year,
why is it that the prices for broadband is still so very high in india.i think it will be atleast another 20 years for people to have a standard 1mbps speed connections in their homes
Hope to see it starting in Delhi soon. Great from cost point of view. Hope they provide the mentioned speed as most of the service providers just pretend to provide the speed but when it comes to user he gets nowhere near the half it.