When WiMAX started out in Pakistan, there were many speed bumps along the way– with the technology, network, customer service, and slow startups to name a few. In November 2007, Stephanie Mehta wrote an article in which she talks about subscriber losses, technology problems, and “The curse of WIMAX.” But WiMAX got up, brushed off the dust, and forged ahead at full speed. In 2008, WiMAX had the biggest rollout in Pakistan. In the emerging markets, the Wateen-Motorola WiMAX project deployed its network to 17 major cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore .
Now, with the recession, many are saying that Wimax is taking a ride–downhill– with the rest of the economy. There are questions of whether WiMAX can deliver quality broadband and wide coverage.
Though some skeptics believe otherwise, WiMAX is still soaring. Juniper Research claims that Asia will dominate 50% of the WiMAX market by 2013. Craig R. Barrett, the Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation, says that by 2012, WiMAX will reach out to billions of people.
Alcatel-Lucent’s recent study concludes that broadband isn’t affected by the recession. And so, with its largest functional network in the world in Pakistan, WiMAX continues to receive the same popularity and limelight as ever.
