Saturday, January 04, 2003

WLL vs Cellular


There is considerable confusion around Reliance Infocomm's announcement (new announcement offering the sky) of Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) technology. Let's try to understand what's going on.

What is WLL?



Summary: WLL includes all wireless technologies that can replace copper-wire telephone connections. They also include cellular technologies. CDMA is the most popular technology today for implementing WLL networks.

The Reliance strategem



Pitfalls, questions etc


So the questions are: Is this technology really cheaper/better? How will roaming/connectivity work with Reliance Infocomm's WLL?


Summary: WLL isn't going to change the face of wireless telephony in India. If the Reliance model works, cellular operators will also lobby for lower tariffs on connecitivity to PSTN. But the Reliance model may itself fail in one or more of three areas - cost, land-line penetration, or even roaming which GSM-based cellular telephony players provide near-seamlessly today.





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