Italian ISP ARIA is one step closer to deploying a nationwide WiMAX network in Italy based on 802.16e-2005 after awarding a supplier contract to French equipment vendor, Alcatel-Lucent. The plans is to deploy first in Puglia, a largely rural area with a population of 4 million, and in Veneto (4.8 million people). The wired telecoms infrastructure in Italy is not as advanced as in other European countries. That’s why mobile phone service took off so quickly and remains the most popular way for Italians to communicate. Italy has mountainous regions that are also difficult to reach with copper or fiber hence, using WiMAX to deliver broadband to these areas is much more efficient and is less expensive.
However, a word of caution: France awarded WiMAX licenses to several operators and regions a couple of years ago. Like Italy, France has rural areas that are hard to reach with fiber or copper, so one would expect that by now, WiMAX would be more ubiquitous, not only in rural areas but also in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities where operators can make a lot of money through subscriptions to businesses and mobile workers. That has not turned out to be the case. The French regulator, ARCEP, is investigating why French WiMAX operators have taken so long to roll out the networks and is threatening to confiscate those licenses unless the operators meet the deadlines.
Read French tech journalist Alain Baritault’s analysis on the state of WiMAX in France and why it’s taking them so long to deploy.
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