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Taiwan market: Tatung Infocomm likely to become first commercial WiMAX service provider in 1Q
Harris Lin, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 13 January 2009]
Tatung InfoComm, a WiMAX licensee in Taiwan, is likely to become the first-mover to bring WiMAX services to Taiwan when the company kicks off its commercial WiMAX operations in Penghu Islands at the end of the first quarter at the earliest, according to company president Peter Yen. Tatung will then expand its service areas to include Kaohsiung area in July and to cover Hualien and Tatung areas in August, Yen added. Vmax is expected to launch its commercial WiMAX services in the second quarter, and Globle Mobile will follow suit in the third quarter, according to sources of the companies. In other news, Tatung Infomm, Vmax, Global Mobile, Vastar Cable TV and First International Telecom (Fitel) have decided to jointly push for the establishment of a settlement center for roaming services within the WiMAX networks in Taiwan and offshore islands. | Taiwan WiMAX licensees: WiMAX deployment updates | | Operation area | Company | Recent deployments | Projected commercial operation schedule updates | | Northern Taiwan | Vmax | Already signed contracts with Samsung Electronics and Alvarion, respectively, for the purchase of WiMAX base stations and related equipment | 2Q09 | | Global Mobile | Postponed the initial procurement projects for WiMAX base stations and related equipment to February 2009 instead of December as originally planned | 3Q09 | | Fitel | Expected to gain in March 2009 a court approval to undertake a corporate restructure project that will allow the company to expand its capital | NA | | Southern Taiwan | Tatung InfoComm | Already gained an operating license to launch its WiMAX services in Penghu, a group of small islands west of Taiwan | 1Q09 in Penghu Islands; 3Q09 in Kaohsiung, Hualien and Pingtung areas | | Vastar Cable TV | To decide the supplier for the purchase of 300 WiMAX base stations after the Lunar New Year holiday | 2H09 | | Far EasTone (FET) | NA | 2H09 | Sources: Companies, compiled by Digitimes, January 2009 
Tatung InfoComm president Peter Yen
Photo: JC Liu, Digitimes, January 2009
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