CAIRO: Wimax technology is the pathway to the next generation of connectivity in Egypt, Amr Badawi, executive president of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) said at the opening of the Second Annual Wimax MEA Summit on Monday. Taking advantage of the region's growth and Egypt's low broadband penetration, Wimax seems to be the solution to spread internet usage. Although the number of internet users in Egypt is increasing - standing at 8.7 million subscribers at the end of February 2008 - it is still only 13 percent of the population. The number of ADSL subscribers in Egypt is only half a million. "These figures are very low compared to the number of fixed line subscribers; we need to aggressively improve this area, Badawi said. This is where broadband services come in. The main objectives of broadband wireless access (BWA) are to increase accessibility, introduce new bundles of services (triple play) and increase investments in existing infrastructure. Before introducing Wimax as one of the major technologies of BWA in Egypt, the NTRA in coordination with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) began a series of trials on Wimax technology, he said. The pilot project was launched in Smart Village in 2005 for technical watch purposes. "The NTRA released a 3.5 Mhz channel in the 3.5 Ghz band for trials, some vendors have used this channel, he explained. Wimax should further spread in Egypt after the second fixed line license - which will use the Wimax technology - is operational by the end of this year. During the summit, Green Packet Networks (GPN) - a joint venture company of Green Packet Berhad with Saudi Economic Development Company (SEDCO) - announced that its sister company and Wimax operator, Packet One Networks Malaysia (P1) will offer Wimax consulting services, products and applications in the MENA region. "The region's fast socio-economic growth but low broadband penetrations rate poses a very attractive business case for aspiring operators. With the strong backbone of Green Packet and the expertise of P1, we have a lot to contribute to progressing Wimax in the MENA region, said Yagoub Alsulais, general manager of GPN. Aside from Wimax consulting services, Green Packet Group's research and development strengths have led to its innovation of cutting-edge Wimax peripherals and applications. "We are convinced by the Wimax potential, and seen for ourselves how rapidly the Wimax ecosystem is expanding with the DNA (device, network and applications) in place. New industries and innovations are being created around Wimax to support the technology, said CC Puan, group managing director and CEO of Green Packet Berhad.
