Motorola pushing WiMAX in India

While Wi-Fi has been working great in most downtown areas where antennas and computers are in close proximity but the Wi-Fi signal is not strong enough to cover a wide area or penetrate through brick apartment buildings. Wi-Fi systems have not been delivering on its promised performance. Hartford officials have been forced to put its municipal internet project on hold and hope WiMAX will serve as an alternative....

There are about 2 million broadband users in India today, and analysts say that the number will grow to 30 million users by 2010. Since the most vexing problem of providing broadband access is the last mile, WiMAX is seen as crucial in reaching these numbers.....sensing this oppurtunity Motorola is pushing its WiMAX in india in a big way...The company rolled out the first Made-in-India mobile, and now shows every intention of benefiting from the growing demand for wireless broadband on the subcontinent....

India is not exempt from WiMAX spectrum woes. In most of the world, the 2.5-2.69 Ghz band is used for WiMAX services. In India, this band is used by the Department of Space for satellite-based mobile and broadcast applications. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended 100 Mhz of spectrum in 3.3-3.4 Ghz for WiMAX.

Motorola has decided to restructure the company and separate it's struggling mobile phone business from the broadband and mobility solutions unit, which may give the beleaguered handset maker the opportunity to right its leaking ship...Lets see how long it goes...