Come Oct, City will go wireless

Come Oct, City will go wireless
Bangalore, DH News Service:
Wi-MAX, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless access to data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access...

The much-awaited Wi-MAX, an initiative of the IT and BT department, is expected to be launched on a pilot basis in October first week, covering areas between the Vidhana Soudha and Trinity Circle, State IT&BT secretary M N Vidyashankar said here on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the valedictory function of a national workshop on ‘Wireless Communications’, Vidyashankar said the areas covered by the project are the Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park, Vittal Mallya Road, Kasturba Road and MG Road.

The pilot project will cover an area of five square kilometres.

Wi-MAX, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless access to data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access.

Project extension
Based on the feedback from industry and people, the project would be further extended in a big manner to cover the entire Bangalore. “This would be completed in a span of 18 months. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 400 crore as the technology is expensive,’’ he said.

The department was supposed to launch Wi-MAX programme covering the entire City in April this year. But the project was halted after the constitution of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

“Earlier, the approximate area to be covered under Wi-MAX was 229 sq kms but after BBMP was constituted, the area size increased nearly three-fold, touching 741 square kilometres. Hence, the project could not be implemented,’’ Vidyashankar said.

The technology used for the Wi-MAX is IEEE 802.168 2005.

During the project implementation, base stations would be set up depending on the ranges, with a minimum coverage over an area of five square kilometres, he said.