Two sites inaugurated for WiMAX project in Meghalaya

Shillong, Jan 20 : To provide easy and fast Internet connectivity to the rural areas of Meghalaya under the WiMAX project, two sites were formally inaugurated today by Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Sachin Pilot. Altogether 28 sites were targeted to be installed within March 31 this year in the state under WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), a technology for delivering wireless high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. Addressing the function to inaugurate sites of Barapani and Cherrapunjee from Kolkata through video conferencing, Pilot said, "This technology will enable easy accessibility to Internet connectivity in the state." "We will continue to install more such sites across the state of Meghalaya," he added. Congratulating the state for achieving this project, Pilot asked students of schools, colleges and universities to avail the facility. Highlighting more on the project, Senior General Manager of Telecom District in charge of Meghalaya, George Santosh said, "Just like 3G services which are bundled basically for the mobile phone and data card which actually requires a SIM, the WiMAX is also wireless based and requires a device called CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) which can then be connected to the PC or Laptop". He added, “We would be delivering maximum speed of 5 Mbps which is really good for the rural audience. A number of attractive tariffs are available." Last year, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the first site at Ampati in the Garo hills region.