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Wi-Max vendor Telsima is upbeat about the Indian telecom market. With lack of last mile access and tough broadband penetration targets to pursue, the telecom industry is increasingly turning to technologies like Wi-Max, which provide a wireless alternative to copper networks and optic fibre cables. This offers good business opportunity for companies like Telsima that are involved in the Wi-Max space.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Telsima Corporation provides mobile Wi-Max and Wi-Max-certified broadband wireless access solutions in emerging markets. The company is backed by Silicon Valley investors such as NewPath Ventures, CMEA Ventures and New Enterprise Associates.

Telsima started operating in India in 2006. Its sales and support centre is located in New Delhi and the system software development and testing centre is in Bangalore. Telsima's IP portfolio in the country comprises mobile Wi-Max products and in-house designed radio frequency products.

Its StarMAX family of Wi-Max-based products, which facilitate mobile and fixed broadband wireless access, is widely deployed in India. For example, it is used in Tata Communications' and Reliance Communications' commercial Wi-Max networks. The product range comprises StarMAX 6000 series Wi-Max base stations for fixed and mobile Wi-Max; StarMAX 2000 series subscriber stations; StarMAX 3000 mobile stations for mobile Wi-Max; StarMAX NMS for network management; and StarMAX ProVision for mobility management. Telsima recently unveiled the StarMAX 6400 series base stations, targeted at enterprise and portable/nomadic subscribers, at the India Telecom 2007 exhibition.

Promising prospects
According to research firms Maravedis and Tonse Telecom, there are likely to be 21 million Wi-Max subscribers in India by 2014, which would make the country one of the top three Wi-Max markets in the world. Faced with such buoyant growth prospects, Telsima is looking to intensify its presence in the Indian telecom space and has accordingly stepped up its efforts.

According to Alok Sharma, CEO, Telsima Corporation, "Telsima's mission is focused on creating a global telecom pioneer out of India. Our strategy is very simple and focused: dominate the broadband wireless market in India by tailoring solutions to meet the current and future needs of the market; localise manufacturing for speedy delivery of world-class products at optimised prices; scale up the operations and services team to deploy customer networks speedily and remain close to customers; and, finally, leverage the scale achieved in India to compete globally."

Protip Ghose, head, India operations, reiterates the company's India focus: "Telsima treats India as its home market. Our product roadmaps, features and price points are targeted to meet the business needs of Indian operators."

The company has a number of firsts to its credit in India. Telsima was the pioneer in deploying Wi-Max space time code/ maximum ratio combining networks in the country; in the use of Wi-Max central service provisioning system; and in the use of nomadic Wi-Max support facilities.

The company has forged a number of alliances with operators and manufacturers. It recently collaborated with Tata Communications to provide wireless broadband services across the country. Telsima provided 3,000 base stations, which will cater to the operator's enterprise and retail customers. It has also signed an agreement with Tier I manufacturer Elcoteq for supplying Wi-Max subscriber stations.

Financially, Telsima has done quite well in India. For the quarter ended March 2008, the company registered revenues of Rs 31 million from its India operations.

Challenges
Despite the tremendous potential of WiMax in the country, industry analysts are cautious about the prospects of the company in India. For example, Mahesh Uppal, director, ComFirst, says, "There is no question that Telsima is very well placed in the Wi-Max space and should do as well along with its competitors. However, its performance, to a large extent, depends on the way Wi-Max services play themselves out in India. Also, the company has had a relatively late start in the country."

Future strategy
The company has set big targets for the future. "Going forward, we plan to net several more contracts from the major telecom operators. In addition, we hope to double or treble our turnover this year. We will be investing more than $10 million over and above what we already have in India," says Ghose.

Company officials seem to be confident of achieving their goals, and believe that they have what it takes to succeed. Says Ghose: "We are extremely market oriented and prepared to pull out all the stops to ensure success. Being a small company is an advantage as it makes us more nimble footed compared to the competition. We can get things done quicker and better."