NEW DELHI: Wireless mobile internet access is a great tool to have. You can sit by the beach, by the pool side or an airport lounge and surf the net, without any dangling wires. You just have to ensure that the laptop can sniff a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) hot spot and get going on the world wide web.

The range is about 150 feet and if you want a longer range, say around 30 miles, WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the way to go. So said the geeks. But there’s a bit of twist in the tale, thanks partly to new research and partly to actual technology roll out.

WiMax is a great way to cover cities and sparsely populated areas, but actual coverage is far less than promised: one to 1.5 km in very densely populated areas to about 10-12 km in others. On the other hand, Intel researchers have developed a new platform that boosts Wi-Fi antenna’s limited range to 60 miles!

So, in effect instead of WiMax, as a wireless access technology in rural and remote areas, Wi-Fi could do the job as well. And being cheaper, companies may find the long range Wi-Fi a better connectivity tool for sparsely populated areas. With this both WiMax and Wi-Fi can potentially cover vast areas and companies might need to revisit their roll out plans for wireless internet access.

"Wherever we don’t have last mile access we have deployed WiMax; in all at about 20 (includes Ahmedabad, Cochin, Trivandrum, Jallandhar and Kolhapur) locations for enterprise use. WiMax is good for last mile access but it is hyped too much. For good connectivity you need to be in line of sight, outdoor range is good up to 12 km but the further you go from the antenna the weaker the signal becomes,’’ says TV Sriram, vice president, technology, Bharti Airtel. However, Mr Sriram has not come across the long range Wi-Fi or the rural connectivity platform (RCP) as Intel calls it.

Ditto’s Cisco’s business development manager for advanced technologies, Paramjit Singh Puri. Says he, ``there could be a lot of slip between the cup and the lip. WiMax has been the buzzword for the last few years, though it may not be practically possible to have a very long range with a single antenna. On the other hand Wi-Fi has seen lot of deployments the world over including India where there are about 700-800 hot spots. A long range Wi-Fi could make a difference.’’

Intel’s managing director, emerging markets WiMax Program Office, Lil Mohan, however, believes that WiMax is living up to its promise and Intel is launching new chips that offer both WiMax and Wi-Fi capability. ``With WiMax quality of service is guaranteed but not so with WiFi. Also, for the long distance Wi-Fi you need a flat terrain and it will work well where population is sparse, but quality could be an issue,’’ adds Mr Mohan.

The new long distance Wi-Fi platform or RCF has been tested by Intel in India, Panama, Vietnam, South Africa. It comprises processor, radios, specialised software and a directional antenna which helps shoot data to a receiving antenna as far as 60 miles away.
Intel was able to achieve this by using new software and radios, increasing the range of Wi-Fi from just about 150 feet to several miles. However, this is good for sparsely populated areas with a flat terrain, that will enable line of sight signal access.

Eventually both, WiMax and the long range Wi-Fi could be deployed together to cover remote areas for wireless internet access. But those who thought Wi-Fi is only for indoors better update their technology strategy and business plans.