PROVIDING wireless high-speed Internet access through WiMax may have held promise in 2005 but a double- whammy of cellular advancements and government-led programmes may have dealt a severe blow to its deployment potential in Singapore.

A year after it auctioned off the (Wireless Broadband Access) WBA spectrum, the IDA introduced a nation-wide initiative called Wireless@SG to provide free Wi-Fi coverage in the central business district and major town centres.

Two WBA licensees, QMax and SingTel, along with iCell Networks, were awarded the project and started offering complimentary Internet access at speeds of up to 512Kbps (kilobits per second) from last January.

Given the widespread coverage of this network, industry observers believe there is no compelling reason for most consumers to pay for wireless broadband services, a reason which could explain the scarce commercial deployments using the allocated 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz WBA spectrums.

On the other hand, market watchers also say that wireless broadband technologies like WiMax are stalled by cellular technology upgrades, specifically HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access).

All three local mobile operators, which are again WBA licensees, have already upgraded their networks to provide higher-speed data access through HSDPA.

By using a compatible phone or a pint-sized modem, consumers can surf the Net and check their e-mails across the island at speeds of up to 7.2Mbps (megabits per second).

Upgrades are already underway to ramp up the HSDPA speed limit, with 14.4Mbps access already materialising in Australia through Telstra Corporation. With LTE in the pipeline, speeds could even extend to 1Gbps (gigabit per second) and beyond in the near future.

'We will need to see that an acceptable level is reached for WiMax customer equipment (before considering commercial deployment). We are (also) closely monitoring LTE and technological advancements,' a SingTel spokesman said.

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