Alternative to WiMax and 3G?

When people think of bringing wireless Internet access to places where fixed-line wireless is unavailable, they tend to think in terms of WiMax or 3G.

Siemens, however, has an alternative called FLASH OFDM (Fast-hopping Low-latency Access with Seamless Handover Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing).

That's quite a mouthful but the concept seems quite suited for bringing wireless Internet to rural folks.

FLASH OFDM is a wireless technology that makes use of the 450MHz frequency spectrum, and is able to cover a distance of up to 70km.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been calling for Internet access to be made available for all, has said that there's plenty of room for Internet growth in the country as the fixed-line penetration rate now is only 14 percent, while broadband penetration is at a mere 2.5 percent.

There have been lots of statements made by various government officials in Malaysia in the past about the need to bring Internet and broadband to the masses, but to date, not much has happened. It'll be interesting to see if Siemens' solution will see the light of day.