Toward an Unwired Bangalore!

BANGALORE, INDIA: Bangalore, India's infotech capital was a key contender in the race for the world’s first Wi-Fi city in 2006. However, having lost out to Taipei, Taiwan, the city now eyes to become India’s first complete unwired city. The state government has started a pilot study and is waiting for the Cabinet approval to kick off the project. 

After prolonged delays, it looks like the city is finally set to bid adieu to wires on a par with cities like Milpitas, Palo Alto and Taipei in terms of last-mile Internet access. This would mean that you can now browse the Internet while driving on the roads. As part of the pilot project, `Unwired Bangalore’, will cover the entire stretch of MG Road -- from Trinity Circle up to the MG Road-Kasturba Road junction. 

WiMAXing Bangalore 

Talking to CIOL, M.N. Vidyashankar, IT & BT Secretary to the Karnataka government said: “Unwired Bangalore is an 18-month project where WiMAX, in conjunction with Wi-Fi mesh technology, will be implemented to cover 743-sq-kms to provide the largest wireless infrastructure in the country today. We are only waiting for the Cabinet to approve the Letter of Intent.’’

Industry experts hope that the project doesn't get mired in bureaucratic tangles, and will soon kickoff the project and redefine the way Bangaloreans live and work. 

“About 70 percent of Bangalore is already equipped with fixed base stations and, for a start, a stretch of 3.5 km in the city centre will be WiMAXed as part of the pilot project to provide wireless connectivity to the Net,” said Vidyashankar, adding that 500m on either side would be covered of the 15 km stretch through Kasturba Road, MG Road, Mayo Hall and Bridge Road.’’

The project is being implemented by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bangalore, along with the state IT department and a (undisclosed) private player. It is estimated that the final WiMAX project, to be extended to the rest of the city, will amount to about Rs 450 crore. Meanwhile, according to industry experts, service providers Aircel and Microsense are setting up WiMAX towers for this pilot project. Each tower will have a cell radius of 4-5 km, compared to Wi-Fi's limited range of a few metres. 

Vision: Unwired Bangalore

The vision of Unwired Bangalore will enable citizens to enjoy broadband in their homes, offices, schools and public areas – whether this is for personal, business or public service usage. Instead of being tied to offices, homes or individual hotpots, people will have fast convenient access to information — and each other — from virtually any corner of the city. ! Users can connect wirelessly and roam seamlessly to access applications and services at anytime and from any place. 

“Being the IT capital, we set standards for the rest of the country and the Unwired Bangalore project will be a benchmark for technologies such as WiMAX and Wi-Fi,” said Vidyashankar.

The pilot run will be done primarily to demonstrate how WiMAX works? The wireless connectivity will be seamless for the pilot project as every 55m we have installed a base station. We have to cover 743m of area under Bangalore Mahanagar Palika (BMP). It is, in fact, double the size of what Taipei has set up. Already, we have six companies who have shown interest in the project, and we will shortlist from these. 

Reacting to reports that Pune has already beaten Bangalore as India’s first Wi-Fi city, Vidyashankar adds, “It is only a hype in the media, but no truth. You should personally visit Pune to know the realities. None of the other cities are in contention for the race”. 

Pune claims to be the first city in the country where a commercial meshed Wi-Fi and WiMAX deployment under the ‘Unwired Pune’ project took place. According to experts, Intel Technology Pvt. Ltd, along with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Microsense, are jointly executing this project.