The National Communications Commission in Taiwan said that it has received thirteen applications for the six WiMAX licenses that will be awarded next month, according to a Dow Jones report. Among the companies that applied for licenses in the frequency band 2.5 ~ 2.69 GHz included Taiwan’s largest telecom operator Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone Telecommunications and Taiwan Mobile. The next step in the application process is for the NCC to question each applicant’s business plan and then a final selection of qualified bidders will proceed to auction. The largest phone operator in Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom Co, said it would invest up to US$122 million in WiMAX over the next five years, if it is awarded a license for WiMAX spectrum. According to a report in Bloomberg, Chunghwa vice president Mu-Piao Shih said in an interview that “Chunghwa is betting WiMAX.” The report also said that a WiMAX service “may help Chunghwa bolster revenue from mobile gaming and video-sharing as sales decline at the fixed-line and long-distance phone businesses.” Shih added that it would integrate any WiMAX services with its 3G network, because the “two networks complement each other.”
One of the world's bigest telecom companies, Motorola chairman and CEO Ed Zander made a 24-hour visit to Taiwan last month to discuss WiMAX initiatives and cooperation with government and local enterprise. According to the China Times, Zander said Motorola will strongly support the industrial policy of the Taiwan government, and the company will coordinate activities with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to help promote M-Taiwan. Zander also met with executives at Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) and First International Telecom (FITel). Both companies intend to bid on the forthcoming auction of WiMAX spectrum in Taiwan, and if succesful, will be potential purchasers of Motorola’s WiMAX equipment.
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