How does the CorDECT Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) technology work?CorDECT is India's very own WLL technology, jointly developed by Analog Devices, Midas Communication Technologies, and the TeNeT group, IIT Madras.

Based on the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standards specified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), CorDECT provides cost-effective, simultaneous high-quality voice and data connectivity in both urban and rural areas. It provides voice communication using 32 Kbps ADPCM, and Internet connectivity at 35/70 Kbps on the same line using a serial port.

CorDECT employs Multi-Carrier Time Division Multiple Access (MC-TDMA), a technique in which the frequency can change from one time slot to another, DECT defines a wireless communication standard between a Fixed Part (FP) and a Portable Part (PP). ETSI has specified the 1880 - 1935 MHz band for DECT.

What is the difference between CorDECT WLL and the CDMA WLL? Some people say that the CorDECT equipment is more suited to micro-cellular applications and does not completely replace the macro-cellular CDMA-based systems. CoreDECT WLL provides high-quality telephone and Internet access at a cost lower than conventional technologies, in both dense urban and sparse rural. While CorDECT WLL can provide data transmission rate of 70 kbps for Internet access, WLL based on CDMA or GSM can not go beyond 9.6 kbps. Also, while the CDMA WLL and GSM can be used to provide mobility, CorDECT is more suited for the needs of faster connectivity to the Indian villages, since it is cheaper and can provide high quality Internet access, even if it can't provide mobility.

Moreover, in CorDECT, the same line can be used simultaneously to access the Internet and to provide voice. Your line does not become engaged when you access the Internet. CorDECT has been designed to be a modular system. While the basic unit provides service to up to 1000 subscribers, multiple CorDECT systems can be connected together using a transit switch. The system has been designed in such a way that the initial investment for the fixed part is low. Further, since this scheme does not require frequency planning, the installations need not be coordinated. Coupled with the low cost, it thus makes CorDECT one of the most versatile WLL systems available today.

Where all is CorDECT WLL deployed?
After successful field trials by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) at several sites in India, and by Telebras, the Brazilian counterpart of DoT, at Sau Paulo, Brazil, the technology has now been licensed to a few companies in India, Singapore, Tunisia and Brazil. The system has been deployed in Mumbai and Delhi, and 24 other Indian cities are to get the system in 2001. Systems are operational in Madagascar, Fijji, Kenya, Tunisia, Argentina and Nigeria. The CorDECT system is poised to change the way every million of people connect to the world.

What is the TeNet group? Was was it formed? Have you been able to achieve all that TeNet had set out to do? What are your future plans?

The TeNet group is focused on telecom networking, specially in developing countries such as India. India has about 25-30 million telephone connections and 1.5 million Internet connections for about 1 billion people. Its a very small percentage. We believe that Internet is more than just a means of communications. We strongly believe that if India is to get somewhere we need at least 150-200 million telephones and Internet connections.

With the belief that solutions to the unique problems of India could best emerge from Indian engineers, the TeNeT Group was formed by several faculty of IIT Madras. Encompassing the disciplines of electrical engineering and computer science, the group has focussed its attention on the development of solutions for telecom and Internet access. The first major effort of the group was the development of the CorDECT WLL. Other major products include DIAS, which provides simultaneous voice plus permanent Internet access over a single twisted-pair wire using DSL-on-copper technology.

The TeNeT Group has developed close linkages with industries in India and abroad. It has fostered the formation of R&D companies by alumni of IIT: Midas Communications, Banyan Networks, Vembu Systems and Nilgiri Networks.

These work in close partnership with the TeNeT Group. Recently, the TeNeT Group has participated in the formation of n-Logue, whose mission is to provide Internet services in rural areas using TeNeT products. Today, the TeNeT Group and its partners have about 400 engineers working as a closely-knit team on providing total access solutions for telecom and Internet. Currently, the group works in areas such as Networking, Digital Systems Architecture and Fibre Optics. Soon, it plans to focus on emerging avenues like Network Management Systems and Integrated Voice/ Video Data Communications.