Qualcomm to launch broadband services next year

NEW DELHI: Qualcomm India today said it will commercially launch Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services in the second half of 2011.

"The devices (the chip) sets and the infrastructure would be ready by June next year, and in the second half, it (BWA service) will be ready for launch commercially," Qualcomm India and South Asia President Kanwalinder Singh said on the sidelines of an event here.

The services would be offered in partnership with one or more operators, he added.

Qualcomm had paid more than USD 1 billion to bag license for offering high speed Internet service (BWA) in four circles -- Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.

Asked if they would partner any mobile operator (offering 3G services) for its LTE technology, Singh said, "They are obviously the candidates to launch the technology. Now we only hold four circles (Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala) but the rest is owned by Airtel, Aircel, RIL and all proceeding very rapidly towards this."

On their exit plans from the BWA services, he said that it has been the company's stated position that it would look into such a possibility after accelerating the eco-system on the device side as well as on the network side.

"The talks with the operators are ongoing but their is no set time-frame to exit the service. It is up to the operators... if some operator wants to perceive acquiring our stake it will happen quickly. If they want to launch with us having the spectrum that also is ok," Singh said.

There have been reports that Bharti Airtel and Aircel are interested in buying the spectrum, although this has been dismissed as "speculation" by Bharti Airtel.