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WiMax may face setback on Nokia, Nortel pullback

Md Hasan
The forthcoming WiMax technology may face a setback, as two of the world's major telecom solution providers -- Nokia and Nortel - recently announced they would discontinue their WiMax business.
Industry insiders said Bangladesh's new WiMax industry would be affected, as the licence owners who won bid at Tk215 crore will have to go for a very few choices while commissioning the high-speed broadband technology.
However licence owners are very optimistic. They forecast that the WiMax technology would prove to be a good business case in Bangladesh.
Besides Nokia and Nortel, there are many companies to offer WiMax solutions, said Syed Farhad Ahmed, a director of Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd. “Broadband industry mainly depends on the government's policy support, such as launching e-payment gateway the soonest."
BanglaLion Communication, BRAC BD Mail Network Ltd and Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd won the WiMax licences through an auction organised by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in September last year. Later, BRAC refused to receive the licence.
Later BTRC had to persuade the seventh bidder, Mango Telecom, into receiving the WiMax licence, as four other bidders refused to take the 'hot cake'.
The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia last week said it had ended production of its only mobile device using the US-centered WiMax technology, according to Reuters.
"We have ramped down the N810WiMax edition tablet. It has reached the end of its lifecycle," said a Nokia spokesman. Nokia unveiled the model only nine months ago, while, even the trendiest models have a shelflife of well over a year.
Canada's Nortel Networks Corp also said it decided to discontinue its mobile WiMax business.
"We are taking rapid action to narrow our strategic focus to areas where we can draw in maxim urn return on in vestmen t," said Richard Lowe, president of the company, in a statement.
Augere's Farhad Ahmed said they are planning to launch some portals targeting local businesses like agriculture and fishing. But the introduction of such businesses requires e-payment gateway.
"Introduction of high speed broadband internet is not enough to attain something as a whole. It also needs to have a scope to utilise the technology," said Farhad Ahmed.
hasan@thedailystar.net