Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) Taiwan is keen to leverage strong development in its information and communication technology (ICT) industry to turn the local WiMAX industry into one of the best in the world, said developers and officials at an international WiMAX conference Monday.
The M-Taiwan WiMAX Application Laboratory (MTWAL) recently became the first application lab to be selected by the WiMAX Forum, according to an announcement by forum president Ron Resnick at the 2007 WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase and Conference.
The forum is being held in Taipei Oct. 22-23, with 76 companies from all over the world participating. The MTWAL was established at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) campus in Hsinshu.
MTWAL, established to provide an environment in which to create innovative WiMAX applications, was already in operation ahead of the announcement, with seven companies and universities testing their applications at the campus, including Korean company IntroMobile's "NetMirror", Israeli company NDS's "WiMAX TV" and Rock Mobile's "Mobility Karaoke".
WiMax, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology designed to provide wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways. The WiMax Forum was formed in June 2001 to promote standardization and interoperability.
Taiwan's government has put in a great deal of effort establishing the WiMAX network over the last three years, investing over US$664 million (NT$21.8 billion) -- the second highest level of investment in the industry worldwide, Minister of Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Minister Chen Ruey-long said, adding that the MOEA estimates that the total output value of the industry will reach NT$128 billion.
In addition to the MTWAL, a WiMAX Forum Certification Laboratory will be established in Taiwan in November.
The establishment of the laboratories and showcase couldn't have come to Taiwan at a better time, said ITRI President Johnsee Lee, who claimed that "this is a historical opportunity to witness the rapid growth of the WiMAX technology and applications."
Lee said Taiwan, which has been recognized by the global WiMAX community as a leader in the WiMAX ecosystem, finds itself well positioned in the critical period from 2007-2008, when the industry is expected to take off.
The showcase features demonstrations by the latest WiMAX system and chipset vendors, and firsthand insights into emerging end-to-end solutions.