Taiwanese govt collaborates with Intel on WiMax
The Taiwanese government has teamed up with Intel to further the country's ambitions to become the world's top location for WiMax field trials.
The Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has inked an agreement with Intel to grow the awareness and deployment of WiMax technologies in Taiwan.
Under the agreement, MOEA will work with other government sectors to lay the groundwork for spectrum allocation and provide assistance and resources for WiMax field trials. In addition, the ministry will focus on helping Taiwanese companies to market and supply cost-efficient WiMax-based products to the global market.
On its part, Intel will provide the technical resources necessary for WiMax deployment in Taiwan, share the best practices of WiMax trials conducted in other parts of the world, and work with Taiwanese companies to help develop and deploy WiMAX applications.
According to a statement, the Taiwan government has pledged to invest NT37 billion (US$1.1 billion) from now to 2008, in the Mobilize Taiwan project. WiMax is a key focus in the project.
Ferng-Ching Lin, the Minister of State of the Executive Yuan, said that Taiwan aims to become the world's largest WiMax field trial region and a key player in the global WiMAX industry.
According to research firm In-Stat, the subscription base of WiMax in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to total 3.8 billion users in 2009, making up 40 percent of the world's total.
However, the technology has lagged in its development due to a lack of standards, with some market players expressing disappointment.