The clear possibility that regulations governing wireless telecommunications transmissions in South Africa will soon be relaxed is setting the stage for a boom in the wireless networking market. This is the view of Bryan Hall, regional sales manager for Africa at specialist wireless vendor, Proxim.
Visiting South Africa as the guest of local Proxim distributor, Duxbury Networking, Hall said the local market was "riddled with misconceptions" surrounding the performance of broadband wireless solutions. Some vendors overstate speed and distance, while the market is in a high state of anticipation for new wireless products - particularly those linked to the soon-to-be-ratified WiMax technology.
"For users looking to a wireless solution it`s important to draw a distinction between what a product can achieve physically - and what it is permitted to do from a legal standpoint," he said.
Hall expects wireless solutions to play an increasing role in the development of rural areas in South Africa, helping to take Internet connectivity to institutions such as schools and clinics in areas where traditional copper wire and fibre-optic cable were impractical alternatives, for example.
"Proxim has joined Intel Corporation`s Digital Communities initiative which aims to support government organisations in using wireless technology and innovative applications to expand and improve services for municipal governments, businesses and citizens," he said. "We see this initiative as having a significant impact on rural communities, supporting corporate-funded upliftment and empowerment initiatives that are already in place or in the planning stages."
He confirmed that, because Proxim was able to deliver the equivalent of WiMax functionality immediately, there were many players in the local market who were keen to experiment with the technology - both in public and private sector applications.
"Our Tsunami family of outdoor point-to-multipoint wireless Ethernet systems is targeted at applications which require the linking of multiple remote sites to a central network - ideal for interconnecting campus buildings and security systems, integrating detached business sites or installing last mile connections," he said.
Proxim`s Tsunami models range from 11 to 60Mbps capacity in both the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz licence-exempt bands and will have 3.5 licensed band products early next 2006.
Hall added that Proxim markets through a channel structure in South Africa, central to which is its distributor, Duxbury Networking. "Through this structure, we offer solutions for service providers who need to meet the budget requirements of residential customers, as well as high-end solutions for carriers and enterprises that require maximum performance and reliability."
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