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To: Dennis Roth who wrote (97167)	4/9/2001 1:55:02 PM
From: JohnG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 152472

India finds CDMA WLL much more wconomical than GSM. business-standard.com Getting connected at W(i)LL Smita Tripathi We take a look at where Wireless in Local Loop stands in comparison to Global System for Mobile A cell phone is no longer a luxury or a status symbol. It is slowly becoming a necessity. The mobile market has expanded by leaps and bounds and today handsets of all shapes, sizes and colours are available. However, high tariff for the service has often kept prospective users at bay. So when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) allowed limited mobility through Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) service, it was cause for widespread celebration. Launched in 1999 by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), WLL is now expected to be used by other private basic service operators. While no one can dispute the fact that WLL is much cheaper than Global System for Mobile (GSM) — your regular cell phone service — is it the panacea for all your mobile worries? We take a look. Let us first try and understand what WLL is. According to the definition given by the International Engineering Consortium, WLL is a system that connects subscribers to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) using radio signals as a substitute for copper for all or part of the connection between the subscriber and the switch. This includes cordless access systems, proprietary fixed radio access, and fixed cellular systems. It could also be called radio in the loop (RITL) or fixed radio access (FRA). What this basically means is that WLL is an extension of your mundane cordless phone, except that it provides greater mobility. The catch — this mobility is limited to a radius of only 50 kilometres. So while your mobile phone with its international roaming facility helps you to keep in touch even when you are in Timbuctoo, WLL cannot give you that pleasure. So if you are part of the jetsetting crowd who is travelling most of the time, this service is not for you. Besides, your WLL handset loses reception if you are travelling in a vehicle moving at a speed of 30 kilometres or more. What’s more, your mobile phone is Wap (Wireless Application Protocol) enabled, empowering you to access the Internet over your phone. You can check your e-mail, learn how your stocks are doing, get weather forecasts and even read the latest news bulletins on your cell phone. Competition has forced mobile service operators to introduce attractive add ons such as voice mail and short messaging service (SMS). As a matter of fact, SMS that has become a rage among the young upwardly mobile is possible only on GSM. As of now, WLL is not Internet-enabled but is likely to be so in the near future. Even then, it will lose out on variety when compared to your WAP-enabled cell phone. Surfing the web would still not be possible. You will be able to get some basic services like cricket scores and flight schedules. Moreover, the WLL handset cannot be connected to a modem and used to access the Internet through a personal computer. Your mobile phone on the other hand, can be used to do so. As a matter of fact, it can even be connected to a fax machine. For those of you who are trendy and insist on carrying the smallest and the lightest mobile phone, WLL handsets will turn out to be a disappointment. The handsets, provided by the service providers themselves, are heavier and bulkier than your average cell phone. You don’t even have much choice right now as only Siemens models are being provided by MTNL. However, as more private service providers enter the market, models from Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson are likely to be available. However, WLL wins hands down over GSM where it counts the most — the all important price factor. Incoming calls are free and outgoing calls cost only Rs 1.20 for 180 seconds — same as what you pay for your landline. In comparison, cell phones rates are high even after the tariff cut. The rate is Rs 1.60 per minute for incoming and Rs 2.80 per minute for outgoing. The monthly rental expected to be in the Rs 50-Rs 250 range (yet to be fixed by TRAI), is also much cheaper compared to the Rs 395 that you shell out for your cell phone. However, you initially need to pay anywhere around Rs 10,000 as refundable security to the service provider. Says Ramesh Chandra, a Delhi-based shopkeeper who uses a WLL handset, “I don’t travel too much and so do not need the roaming facility. For me the most important factor is price. WLL is much cheaper and therefore more affordable.” Besides WLL transmission is clearer, claims Rajiv Mehrotra, chairman, Shyam Telecom, “WLL is like a CD, whereas GSM is comparable to an audio cassette. The voice quality is much clearer on WLL when compared to GSM. WLL is value for money.” Currently WLL service is provided by MTNL in Delhi , by Tata Tele Services in Andhra Pradesh and Shyam Telecom in Rajasthan. Himachal Futuristics Communications Ltd (HFCL) will soon be commercially providing the service in Punjab. So should you go in for WLL? Well, if your mobile bills are giving you nightmares and you think that a 50 km radius suits you, then its an option you should seriously consider. For others, the WLL way might not be the right connection.