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UTStarcom and Motorola help First International Telecom build Taiwan WiMAX network
Vision of city-wide mobile wireless communications network one step closer to reality in Taipei.
Motorola and its partner UTStarcom are working
with First International Telecom (Fitel), a telecom operator in Taiwan, to
deploy a mobile WiMAX network based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard as a part
of the operator's commitment to the M-Taiwan project.
"The next generation personal wireless broadband service will enable rich media
entertainment and high-speed data applications to be delivered to our customers.
The new network will expand our service offerings and is critical to our future
business growth," said Charlie Wu, president of Fitel. Fitel received its
operator license to provide WiMAX services for northern Taiwan in July 2007. The
carrier currently provides mobile communications services in Taiwan to over 1
million subscribers using its PHS network.
WiMAX base stations are expected to be readied in the downtown Taipei area by
the first half of 2008. Testing for Fitel's part of the M-Taiwan program will
commence at that time. The M-Taiwan project is a government initiative to
accelerate WiMAX ecosystem development and create a city-wide broadband network
for consumers. M-Taiwan fosters four objectives[1]:
Enhance Infrastructure: Reducing digital divide by achieving wireless
broadband coverage in the urban area to 80~90% and rural area to 30~40%
Upgrade the Capability of the Communications Equipment: Achieving over
50% usage of domestic equipment and incubating 1~2 system vendors
Create a Mobile Data Service Industry: Establishing domestic mobile data
services and incubating 2~3 service solution companies
Build a Competitive Mobile Industry Environment: Selecting 2~3 fixed
network operators for WiMAX trials and creating integrated data, video, and IPTV
services
[1] M-Taiwan Program, WiMAX Forum; March 2007
By Jeff Orr
ORR Technology, LLC
