Bharti plans to offer WLL over GSM

Sudarshana Banarjee

NEW DELHI: The sound and fury with interconnect issues notwithstanding, Bharti’s basic service provider, Touchtel is rolling out its limited mobility service. The catch is, unlike other players who are using CDMA technology, Bharti’s service will be on GSM technology used by all cellular operators in India (including Bharti’s own Airtel cellular service uses GSM.) And the buzz around is it intends to use its cellular service provider, Airtel’s infrastructure.



Trai sources, when contacted whether such an arrangement where a basic operator can use a cellular operator’s infrastructure for offering WiLL service, were unsure of such a possibility. Bharti, it is understood, had sought Trai’s approval to offering its unique WiLL services some time ago.


The company is all set to be the first operator in India to ride the WLL wave over GSM. Deploying a solution offered by Nokia, Bharti Tele-Ventures will soon be offering its mobile customers the choice of limited mobility. And how soon is soon? Though a highly placed source within the company confirms the news, the timing and exact details are still very much under wraps.


WLL over GSM has major advantages. According to a statement made by Jussi Ware, vice president, GSM/EDGE marketing and sales, Nokia Networks, existing GSM operators gain more with GSM based WLL services. "Same sites, same masts/poles, same cabling, same service platforms, same transmission links," are some of the advantages he said. Not to mention that the operator can encash on its existing marketing network and channels to push the new offering. According to Nokia, this kind of a synergy can save costs estimated to be about 20 and even 30 per cent of ARPU.


But there are several questions that beg answers. In Madhya Pradesh, for example, Bharti uses the CDMA technology for fixed wireless. Would CDMA then not be the logical upgrade? Pricing issues are again a cause for concern, major or otherwise. A Bharti official, on condition of anonymity, informed CNS that WLL using GSM and WLL using CDMA should be on a similar price footing for the end-customer. But he hastened to add, regulations and artificial barriers not taken into consideration that is.


The question of handset compatibility is also worth a look. Most mobile handsets work on a dual-band GSM frequency of 900 MHz (as with Airtel users) or 1800 MHz (as with Idea users). But WLL over GSM deploys a frequency of 800 MHz, and calls for a tri-band GSM handset. And tri-band GSM handsets are on an average priced at $10 to $20 upward their dual-band counterparts. And these handsets are not as freely available. As of now, in India, only Nokia and Samsung have tri-band phones.

(CNS)