WIMAX internet users keep dropping in H1

The number of active WiMAX internet users in the country declined further as the operators lost 31,000 subscribers in the first six months of this year amid an increasing popularity of the 3G mobile internet.
According to the latest data of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the number of active WiMAX internet users came down to 1.12 lakh in June from that of 1.43 lakh in January.
In the same period, the mobile phone operators added 62,000 internet subscribers, raising the subscriber base to 5.96 crore from 5.34 crore, the BTRC data showed.
The number of internet users through ISP and PSTN operators also increased to 35.20 lakh in June from that of 25.94 in January.
WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless broadband technology for data connectivity which was launched in the country in April 2001.
WiMAX operates similar to WiFi, but at higher speed over greater distances and for a greater number of users.
Currently, two WiMAX operators, Qubee and Banglalion, are operating in the market while another one, Ollo, received the licence but is not in operation.
Industry insiders say the rapid expansion of 3G internet by the mobile phone companies is the main reason for the fall of WiMAX users in the country.
They also say that the WiMAX technology has also witnessed similar scenario in different parts of the globe.
‘The scenario in Bangladesh WIMAX industry is part of the global phenomenon. The technology landscape has changed which is a major problem for us. Even finding a vendor for WIMAX equipment is very difficult this days,’ Banglalion marketing and communication head GM Faruk Khan told New Age.
He said that the WIMAX operators received the BTRC consent to lunch 4G, a faster data service than 3G.
‘We are in a process to lunch 4G and I hope the scenario will change after that,’ he said.
The country’s active WiMAX internet users declined 68 per cent in last four years.
BTRC data showed that the number of active WiMAX internet users came down to 1.48 lakh in December 2015 from 4.67 lakh in December 2012.
The user base came down to 3.15 lakh in December 2013 and declined to 2.33 lakh in December 2014.
The government auctioned 3G spectrum in September 2012 and the mobile operators launched the service in the next month.
The number of mobile internet users in the country rose to 5.14 crore in 2015 from 2.87 crore in 2012.
The number of the internet users through ISP and PSTN operators also increased to 25.18 lakh in 2015 from that of 1.21 lakh in 2012.
The BTRC allowed the WIMAX operators to launch 4G or LTE in a bid to save the industry.
According to BTRC officials, if the WiMAX operators can do well with the LTE rollout, then there is a chance that they might survive in the market.
The BTRC also allowed frequency mobility of the WiMAX operators in 2013.
The mobile phone operators, however, opposed the move saying that it created uneven business situation for the mobile companies.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net