A HIGH-SPEED digital communications system capable of providing broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 50km could be commercially available in the sultanate as early as by the end of next year, depending on which technology future operators adopt.
Brunei's regulatory body and authority for the info-communications technology industry (AiTi) is currently evaluating an undisclosed number of bids it received when a tender process closed last Friday and will be licensing successful applicants to provide a nationwide high-speed BWA system soon, said Tina Lim-Keasberry, the senior manager of AiTi's legal unit.
A relatively new system making its way to the fore, called Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), is one of the possible technologies that may be considered for implementation by potential operators, she said.
WiMAX has the potential to do to broadband Internet access what cell phones have done to phone access, by providing broad coverage like a cell phone network instead of small WiFi hotspots. It also outdistances the WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard by miles while WiFi's range is about 30 m, WiMAX will blanket a radius of 15km or 50km, depending on the type of stations used (fixed or mobile).
In practical terms, WiMAX would operate similar to WiFi but at higher speeds (up to 30 to 70 megabits per second), over greater distances and for a greater number of users. It could potentially erase the suburban and rural "blackout areas" that currently have no broadband Internet access because phone and cable companies have not yet run the necessary wires to those remote locations.
The use of WiMAX in the sultanate may well present a boon to Brunei's e-government drive of which a five-year master plan, currently being finalised, is set for commencement next year.
"Whether the e-government will utilize the infrastructure later on, its up to the Prime Minister's Office to decide," said Tina.
The anticipated $797 million high-bandwidth submarine cable system linking Southeast Asia and North America, dubbed the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), will be needed to ensure the WiMAX system is able to provide high-speed connectivity with the rest of the world as current networks linking Brunei to the region and beyond have its limitations, said Norshahrul Nizam Othman, AiTi's manager for infrastructure and technology development.
The AAG project is expected for completion by mid-next year.
A week-long WiMAX showcase was launched yesterday attended by tertiary and secondary school students at the AiTi headquarters in Anggerek Desa, where a makeshift WiMAX station was set up within the building to showcase existing digital applications available in South Korea such as e-health, citizen registration and online gaming over WiMAX.
The public can view the showcase from Monday to Friday between 2.30pm to 4.30pm until December 10.
Leading South Korean IT company Posdata provided the necessary equipments to allow the demonstration of WiMAX capabilites and showcased some of its WiMAX-related products, including the 'FLYVO USB Modem U100', a device which functions and looks similar to existing ones sold by DST and B.Mobile.
According to a report by Telecoms Korea, an online English news channel that reports mobile and broadband market news, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) recently sent a delegation to the Ministry of Communications to support Korean equipment manufacturers and operators so they can participate in Mobile WiMAX service and broadband internet projects in Brunei.
South Korea and Brunei signed an MoU two years ago for the cooperation in broadcast and telecommunications.
Accordingly, Brunei requested human exchanges; information for frequency management; and cooperation in wireless broadband and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), the report said. In response, the KCC promised to make sure that Korean broadcast and telecom companies with valuable experience and know-how in information technology will contribute to the establishment of a thriving information society in Brunei.
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