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Tatung InfoComm one step closer to WiMAX services

By Lisa Wang Staff Reporter Local WiMAX license holder Tatung InfoComm Co (大同電信) may beat its competitors in launching the high-speed mobile Internet service by the end of the year thanks to its parent company’s aggressive expansion into the mobile industry, a National Communications Commission official said yesterday.

Tatung InfoComm, a WiMAX unit of local home appliance maker Tatung Co (大同), obtained approval to build base stations last month, taking it one step closer to launching commercial operations.

“Tatung is likely to become the first WiMAX license holder to launch the service at the end of the year at the earliest as the company is aggressively building WiMAX base stations,” said Liang Wen-Hsing (梁溫馨), an official in charge of the nation’s cellular industry at the commission.

Other WiMAX license winners were more conservative about their commercial launch and said they might request a one-year grace period prior to the deadline of commercial operations on March 31.

“The installation of base stations is on schedule and we do not foresee any delays,” Wesley Tien (田為騰), of Tatung InfoComm’s public relations department, said on the phone.

Two-year-old Tatung InfoComm is scheduled to launch WiMAX services on the Penghu island chain by the end of the year as it will be easier to reach 70 percent population coverage there as requested by the commission, Tien said.

In July last year Tatung won one of six WiMAX licenses at auction to offer mobile services on the next-generation technology — supported primarily by chip giant Intel Corp — in the south and Hualien.

Separately, Liang said the commission was looking into the option of selling wireless spectrum for telecom operators to set up a fourth-generation LTE technology network. LTE operators including Vodafone are competing with WiMAX operators to become the standard in fourth-generation technology worldwide.

No timetable was set yet for the sales, Liang said.
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