Taiwanese WiMAX players demo roaming
Taiwanese Mobile WiMAX operator VMax Telecom teamed up with Korean equipment manufacturer Samsung on Monday to demonstrate what they claim is the industry’s first Mobile WiMAX roaming service.
Taiwanese operator Far EasTone (FET) this week launched its commercial WiMAX service in Taichung city, delivering entertainment focused content such as music and movies as well as wireless internet access.
Vodafone, the world’s largest operator in terms of revenues, struck a deal with Chunghwa Telecom on Thursday, bringing the Big Red brand to the Taiwanese market.
Taiwanese Mobile WiMAX operator VMax Telecom teamed up with Korean equipment manufacturer Samsung on Monday to demonstrate what they claim is the industry’s first Mobile WiMAX roaming service.
Michael Lai, the charismatic CEO of P1, a 2.3GHz WiMAX operator in Malaysia, is candid about the size of the challenge facing the WiMAX community. “This year is a defining year for WIMAX,” he says. “It’s got to happen and it’s got to happen big.”
Clearwire is reportedly in talks with Global Mobile, one of six mobile WiMAX licensees in Taiwan, to strike up a strategic alliance. This may result in the US WiMAX operator taking an equity stake in Global Mobile, which is planning to increase its current level of registered capital (NT$1.13bn) by NT$1bn-1.9bn to help fund its WiMAX infrastructure rollout.
Far EasTone, a Taiwanese mobile operator, has said its WiMAX rollout plans are running a year behind schedule. The operator had previously said it was looking for commercial WiMAX launch Q1 2009.
The National Communications Commission (NCC), Taiwan’s regulator, has given the go-ahead to VMAX to start rolling out WiMAX base stations and related infrastructure in its licensed areas in the island’s northern region