Taipei, May 14 (CNA) The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with three foreign major enterprises on the sidelines of an annual WiMAX technology conference Monday, with the goal of solidifying Taiwan's position as a technology leader.
"Taiwan has been delving into the infrastructure of WiMAX applications for years, " said Economics Minister Chen Rey-long, who added that by signing MOUs with three key players -- NEC, Nortel and Rohde and Schwarz -- from three different continents, Taiwan hopes to raise its global competitiveness in the WiMAX industry.
WiMAX technology is described as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last-mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL."
Signing the memorandum were Chen, Nortel President of WiMAX and Wireless Mesh Peter McKinnon, NEC President Kaoru Yano and Rhode and Schwarz President and Chief Operating Officer Christian Leicher. The three enterprises will open up their core network system interfaces and cooperate with at least two Taiwan manufacturers in developing the latest MIMO and other Smart Antenna technology.
Chen said WiMAX is a key technology being promoted by the government and that the participation of the three companies will help create a high quality state-of-the-art wireless broadband network, enabling Taiwan to become the world's first Wi-Fi/WiMAX dual network services environment.
The cooperation is expected to be the catalyst for Taiwan's expansion in the highly competitive technology, McKinnon said, adding that Nortel established a WiMAX partnership with Chunghwa Telecom since last December.
It is only natural for NEC to work with Taiwan, given the company's long history of operations in Taiwan since 1940, and its understanding of the island, said Yano, who also announced that NEC is setting up a research and development center in Taiwan.
Asia-Pacific WiMAX Conference and Exhibition 2007 Taipei Summit, organized by the MOEA, is taking place in Taipei May 14 - 15. Over 400 experts are participating in the summit to share their experience in promoting WiMAX and related technology.
In addition, the world's first mobile WiMAX exhibition is being held, enabling visitors to get a feel for super high speed mobile broadband and other practical applications.