This wireless service will enable Internet access even in the hinterlands without the need for a wired infrastructure. The service is supported by BSNL’s Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) network and uses SOMA’s FlexMAX System.

Yatish Pathak, the Chief Executive Officer of SOMA said: “The BSNL’s Radio/Signal Transmission Tower will be used as the base stations and the customers will be provided with plug-and-play indoor device known as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). From the base stations to the CPE, the data is transferred using the SOMA Wireless Broadband Gateway. This is a technology with no wires, no waiting time or setup time.”

SOMA Managing Director Jatinder Ahuja explained the advantages of the technology. He said: ”Only 450-500 Transmission Towers are needed to cover the entire state. A tower in a big city like Ahmedabad can cater to a radius of around 3 kms but the same can go up to around 15 kms in areas like Chhota Udepur.”

At present, the service is being offered in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vapi, Ankleshwar and Chhota Udepur. SOMA officials said the aim is to have 50,000 connections by the year-end, adding that in a few weeks, the WiMAX service will be rolled out in Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Satya Pal, the Chief General Manager of BSNL, Gujarat, added: “BSNL is poised to get the first mover’s advantage in providing both 3G and WiMAX solutions.”

He said BSNL will add around 9,000 kms of OFC in the coming years to meet the tele-communication needs of Gujarat.

Over the pricing issue, he said the new wireless broadband service will offer a range of service plans based on bandwidth rates, providing speeds from 256 kbps to 2 Mbps.” Even the prices are very competitive, which are bound to come down with the increase in volume,” he said.