Photos courtesy of Redline Communication Inc. Telecommunications equipment from Toronto-based Redline Communications Inc. has helped Pakistani telecom provider Dancom Pakistan launch a wireless broadband network in several cities, including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

Suitor

The AN-80i is capable of delivering high-speed Ethernet "throughput" over long distances, according to Redline. In communication networks, throughput is defined as the amount of digital data per time unit that is delivered to a specific terminal in a network from a network node. Throughput is usually measured in bits per second.

Redline touts its RedCONNEX as "able to establish and maintain reliable, robust connectivity that can exceed 50 miles in clear line-of-site conditions."

Dancom has worked with Redline for approximately six months. It was among the first companies in the world to deploy the firm's RedCONNEX infrastructure, according to Redline.

"The AN-80i is the ideal solution for our customers in Pakistan, delivering the high standards of performance that have made Redline our first choice for broadband wireless backhaul solutions," Dancom Group chief executive officer Lugman Kamil said in a prepared statement. "The ease of installation and reliability of the AN-80i has enabled us to respond to our customers' need for immediate, secure connections that support the advanced communication our customers need."

Founded in 1995, Dancom has developed into one of the largest telecom providers in Pakistan, with more than 5,000 employees in 74 offices nationwide. The company serves more than 150 cities and operates the country's largest DSL network.

Redline Communication Inc.’s new RedCONNEX AN-80i, above, is capable of delivering data transfers at increased speeds over more than 50 miles.

Dancom tapped Redline to supply it with equipment for a similar venture last summer. In July, Dancom announced that it would develop Pakistan's first commercial WiMAX-based broadband wireless network. It selected the company's RedMAX system, a WiMAX Forum-certified product, to power the network.

The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led, non-profit corporation established in June 2001 to promote and certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products. The Beaverton, Ore.-based group defines WiMax as a "standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last-mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to wired broadband like cable and DSL."

WiMAX stands for "Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access." It is capable of delivering up to 70 megabits of data per second over 70 miles under ideal conditions.

Communications providers are increasingly deploying WiMAX networks around the world because of its reach and bandwidth. WiMAX is often used to connect Wi-Fi hotspots with each other and to other parts of the Internet, to offer a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for last-mile broadband access, to provide high-speed mobile data and telecommunications services, and to provide multiple sources of Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan.

Yet WiMAX appears most suitable for economically-disadvantaged regions of the world that lack pre-existing cable or telephone networks, such as Pakistan, India and China. Suitor said it represents the best opportunity for these areas to enjoy broadband access.

"The WiMAX technology is really appropriate for emerging economies where there isn't a lot of copper wire or fiber-optic cables in the ground," he said. "The cost to put in a wireless infrastructure in these regions of the world would probably cost about $9 to $25 per household."

Suitor cited studies conducted within the last few years by the University of California at Berkley, SBC Corp. (now AT&T Inc.) and the investment bank Morgan Stanley Inc., all of which concluded installation costs for a traditional wire-based communications network are substantially higher than that of a WiMAX system.

"UC-Berkley researchers did a study in 2004 and found that it would cost about $50 per household to attach DSL to copper wiring. According to SBC, the cost to lay fiber-optics costs about $1,250 per household. And Morgan Stanley estimated the cost to lay coaxial cable in the ground is around $1,200 per household," he said. "So you can see that in areas where the infrastructure is lacking, it's much cheaper to install a WiMax network. And many times, the technology is far superior to what we have here in the United States."

Suitor said the Indian government has already begun to develop a nationwide WiMAX-based network in an effort to deliver broadband communications to some of the subcontinent's poorest villages.

"It's a program funded by the Indian government to bring broadband to some 60,000 villages in India," he said. "We're talking extremely rural and poor villages. The government got some entrepreneurs to go in and set up telephone kiosks in these villages that allow the villagers to make a short telephone call for a small fee."

Redline is currently exploring the feasibility of bringing its technology to India. The company has partnered with several Indian service providers to offer its WiMAX technology in three unnamed Indian markets on a trial basis. Suitor predicted the trials will develop into business deals sometime next year.