How Tikona Is Offering Wireless Internet

[ravi_patent 28]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2010/04/05/stories/2010040550020100.htm

In February this year, a relatively unknown Internet services provider from Mumbai — Tikona Digital Networks — announced plans to offer wireless broadband services utilising unlicensed spectrum. The company started out with the service in 10 cities and is targeting 50 cities by the end of this year with an investment of Rs 500 crore.

At a time when as many 15 telecom operators have tied up billions of dollars to buy spectrum for offering broadband services, the move from Tikona to offer up to 2mbps speed on free air waves has raised many eyebrows.

Use of unlicensed spectrum is not new in India. Globally, and in India, frequency bands in 2.4 Ghz, 5.8 Ghz and 3.3 Ghz have been kept aside as free spectrum that can be used by anyone without taking a licence or paying a fee to the Government. Small Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the country have been using unlicensed spectrum over the past few years. But Tikona's aggressive roll-out plan is looking to be a potential game-changer for two reasons.

Until now, Internet services on unlicensed spectrum were being deployed only in tier-3 cities where the subscriber base is not very dense. Now Tikona has dared to roll out into top cities, including highly dense cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, using the free air waves in 2.4 Ghz band and 5.8 Ghz band.

Second, the quality of service on unlicensed spectrum has been a question mark due to interference from hundreds of other users for free air waves. Tikona claims to have resolved this issue by deploying some of the latest technology available.

“We are deploying wireless broadband services on the Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) platform using about 110 Mhz of free spectrum. Though there are multiple users on this band, we have taken care of interference issues through a unique network architecture. Subscribers can get up to 2Mbps speeds, which is the fastest wireless broadband services in the current market,” says Prakash Bajpai, Founder, MD and CEO, Tikona Digital Networks.

The company has already set up 16,000 receivers, which are in the form of micro base stations, and plans are afoot to increase it to 90,000 this year.

So, if Tikona can use free spectrum to offer high-speed broadband, why can't others?

According to Ruckus Wireless, one of the technology partners of Tikona, there are other ISPs and operators who are already looking at unlicensed spectrum in a new light.

Sudarshan Boosupalli, Country Head of Ruckus Wireless, says, “We are talking to a bunch of players who have shown interest in using free air waves for offering broadband based on 802.11n standards. We have developed technology that addresses the single biggest concern of using unlicensed spectrum till now, i.e. interference.”

Ruckus Wireless has developed a patented software-controlled multi-antenna array that forms and directs signals over the best performing signal paths in real time, on a per packet basis. The California-based technology firm claims that its platform automatically selects better signal paths to increase performance and minimise packet loss, thereby ensuring good, consistent user experience. To address the concerns of wireless security and unauthorised access, operators can deploy WPA2, which is the highest level of security available on wireless networks.

Once service quality issues are taken care of, unlicensed spectrum offers other advantages compared with licensed air waves. For one, operators do not have to pay anything for using air waves in the free bands, as against a few thousand crore rupees required to buy licensed spectrum. Second, the overall cost of rolling out a network in unlicensed spectrum is much lower. “Use of unlicensed spectrum is the ideal cost-effective solution to the broadband needs of India. Apart from saving on the cost of buying spectrum, the capital expenditure required to set up a meshed network in unlicensed spectrum is five times lower compared with rolling out a WiMax network in licensed spectrum. This will, in turn, enable the service provider to offer cheaper broadband services to consumers,” says Boosupalli.

Agrees Rajesh Chharia, President, Internet Service Providers Association of India, “The base price for the upcoming auction for broadband spectrum has been kept at Rs 1,750 crore. There is no business case for anyone to offer broadband services at that cost. For ISPs, unlicensed spectrum continues to be a more attractive proposition.” Chharia owns an ISP business called CJ Online and caters to the mofussil areas of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh riding on free spectrum.

‘unreserved vs air-conditioned'

The clamour for using unlicensed spectrum is also growing globally. Technology firms including Microsoft and Google are making a case at various regulatory forums for promoting use of more free spectrum bands. “Having seen what is possible in the 2.4 GHz but also in several other bands (such as 5 GHz) as well, it is easy to imagine possibilities if similar type of de-licensing happens in lower frequency bands, especially with respect to the much better propagation characteristics,” states a letter from Microsoft to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Microsoft is pushing its own technology platform, White-Fi, which allows any service provider to utilise unused spectrum at any given time in an area dynamically, without causing interference to existing players.

But traditional telecom operators do not see any scope of comparison between licensed and unlicensed spectrum. “It is like comparing passengers travelling in the unreserved compartment of a train to the ones in the air-conditioned coach. Unlicensed spectrum can never match the quality and reliability offered by licensed air waves. Once we own spectrum, we can control it to optimise according to the traffic and usage. But in unlicensed spectrum there are many users with no control, so there is bound to be trouble,” says a large telecom operator.

None of the large telecom operators are therefore looking to use free air waves as of now. Tata Communications, one of the big players which until now was offering broadband on unlicensed spectrum, also sees limited use. “Interference issues in dense urban areas is still a major issue. Seems to be fine for semi urban or rural areas,” says a Tata Communications executive. The company has put in its application for bidding for broadband spectrum in the upcoming auction clearly indicating its preference for licensed air waves.

Some of the established Internet Service providers also do not see much benefit in the unlicensed spectrum story. Says Naresh Ajwani, President, Sify Ltd, “If anyone says that unlicensed spectrum can be deployed for broadband then one should ask them to prove the business case first. Technology and other things come only after it can be established that there is a viable business case.”

However, Tikona's Bajpai reckons that the opposition from the incumbent telecom players is not surprising since they have to justify their investments in their existing networks. “None of the incumbent telecom players can replicate what we are doing at Tikona. For that they will have to rip apart all their existing networks rolled out with investments of billions of dollars. Therefore they have no option but to buy spectrum to protect the investments made until now.”

Despite the optimism towards unlicensed spectrum, interestingly, even Tikona has joined the bid for buying broadband spectrum. That could be to boost its services in urban areas even as it continues to use free spectrum in tier-2 and 3 regions.

According to ISPAI's Chharia, there is huge scope for deploying unlicensed spectrum in non-urban areas. “There are only a few areas where the broadband user density is high. In other parts of the country unlicensed spectrum is an effective medium. I know ISPs who offer connectivity in Bihar and Orissa using free air waves,” says Chharia.

Market watchers reckon that unlicensed air waves could also become a back-up plan for those telecom players who do not win spectrum in the upcoming auctions. There are 15 companies in the fray for three slots of 3G spectrum and two slots for broadband wireless access. This means that there will be at least 10 players who will not get any spectrum. Assuming that none of these players would want to miss out on the huge broadband market, expected to be over 40 million subscribers in the next few years, using unlicensed spectrum could just be their Plan B.

[manishashar 6]

Interesting article.

[anuragz 4]

I really can't say on 'How they are offering the wireless internet' but the only thing I can tell u is that, It's been 2 months since I'v applied for a connection (which they promised will be installed in 2 days) & still they have not done the installation. Everytime I call cc I find a new person to answer my query & he always promises that it will be done within 24 hrs (& they never make me talk to the one with whom I spoke earlier). I'v made more than 20 calls to cc but every call fell on deaf ears. No mails, no calls , no sms, no reply from the customers care. This is perhaps the WORST SERVICE PROVIDER I'V EVER MET IN MY LIFE. DISGUSTING.

[manishag 17]

I really can't say on 'How they are offering the wireless internet' but the only thing I can tell u is that, It's been 2 months since I'v applied for a connection (which they promised will be installed in 2 days) & still they have not done the installation. Everytime I call cc I find a new person to answer my query & he always promises that it will be done within 24 hrs (& they never make me talk to the one with whom I spoke earlier). I'v made more than 20 calls to cc but every call fell on deaf ears. No mails, no calls , no sms, no reply from the customers care. This is perhaps the WORST SERVICE PROVIDER I'V EVER MET IN MY LIFE. DISGUSTING.

atleast they contacted you for the connection. but it's over month they didn't even contacted me to sale the connection . it's worst service provider not just after sales services even before sales service is hopeless.

Tikona is worst then the Tata broadband

[KumaarShah 143]

Hope you did not pay them any advance or deposits.....

[csmart 472]

dont go for tikona. personal experience and some other friends.. everybody is regretting.. i applied on 14th Feb, till date connection is not working. they install AP still not working. one engineer says AP is not working while other say AP is working. they themselves are confused. besides, they round off their calculation to MB. so even u log in and log off, 1mb gone..

[prafull4u 24]

They have even launched the service in bangalore....

they took my mobile number and even called up, response was prompt here but dont know exactly abt the service Quality... they claim its based on 4G but the speed which they were offering in unlimited 499 was just 150kbps. With this speed dont know why they are highlighting the 4G technology

[csmart 472]

all those r marketing gimmick.. i am in touch with nodal officer and also appellate officer. none of them seems to be interested in solving the problem. i mailed them stating that i will be disposing their AP and still no reply... try it at your own risk...

[me_saket 73]

They have even launched the service in bangalore....

they took my mobile number and even called up, response was prompt here but dont know exactly abt the service Quality... they claim its based on 4G but the speed which they were offering in unlimited 499 was just 150kbps. With this speed dont know why they are highlighting the 4G technology

what is max speed they are offering, not considering unlimited plan