Investment in WiMAX pays off

By Pia Rufino | 13 July 2011 | Permanent link | 1 comment

The wireless broadband standard is not only alive, but also thriving in Taiwan.

Remember 2006, 2007, when everyone was excited about WiMAX and trial projects were announced, if not executed, across Asia?

Things have gone much quieter then - normally it is a sign that people stop talking buzz and get on with actions. Not necessarily in this case because, frankly, not much has been happening. Apart from Korea which has been having widespread WiMAX coverage (they started with an indigenous standard called WiBro which was then harmonised with WiMAX), not many pilot projects managed to sustain themselves, let along propagating. A study carried out and published September 2010 found that only 364 WiMAX operations were actually offering active services.

This high-speed wireless technology has been promoted globally as a speedier replacement for the Wi-Fi technology. It met lots of obstacles, among which competition from other standards favoured by telecom operators.

Nevertheless, the government of Taiwan, with a big industry sector at stake, has been a strong and important backer of WiMAX standard. Back in 2007, even though the market was not yet mature, the government issued licenses to six WiMAX operators, provided them with generous research grants and co-investments, to help jumpstart services creating digital opportunities and enhancing the country’s industry and global scalability.

I recently had a long chat with Sheng-Ching Cheng, Executive Secretary of Committee of Communications Industry Development (CoCID), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the ministry which is giving WiMAX the strongest backing. He was adamant that the potential of WiMAX could not be underestimated, as it could assist a diverse range of services— antiterrorism, surveillance, disaster recovery, airport and harbour safety as well as healthcare and even cargo management.

This has expanded coverage to include libraries, university campuses and museums.

As part of the M-Taiwan programme announced in 2005, the government has implemented the national WiMAX Blueprint for expanded wireless broadband services and products to ensure all citizens—including those living in remote areas have equal access to internet.

The M-Taiwan programme has already created several metropolitan broadband wireless networks, and completed a WiMAX ecosystem in Taiwan. Now about 80 per cent of global WiMAX CPEs (customer-premises equipments) are produced by Taiwanese companies.

A particular example Cheng mentioned to me happened in the village of Nantou, where mobile learning was made possible by WiMAX connectivity.

“Nantou County is famous for its tourist landscapes, but it suffers from resource scarcity as it is located in a fairly remote area with no easy access to resources. With WiMAX, students are now able to log into courses available on the interactive distance-learning platform,” Sheng said.

Sure - you might say - but many countries had that kind of pilot years ago , and normally the deployment would stop there.

Sheng in fact noted that this year, two ministry agencies— Technology Development Fund of MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology, and the National Police Agency of the Ministry of the Interior—which began using WiMAX in the Taipei area have demonstrated successful results.

“They are operating a WiMAX two-way broadband mobile video system. Real-time images are captured by a camera eye capably of moving in a 360 degree angle that are then transmitted to the command center, instantly dispatching law enforcement to the scene.“

Everyday life in Taiwan is also connected to WiMAX, Sheng-Ching said. In taxis, riders can enjoy the broadband, mobile and open standards of the WiMAX telecommunications network service on touch screen panels. This provides GPS, entertainment and dining details at the fingertips of foreign guests and local shoppers. It offers a truly mobile lifestyle.

Seeing the benefits of WiMAX, the MOEA approved a WiMAX development plan last year that will see the government invest an estimated US$215 million in developing the country’s WiMAX infrastructure over the next three years.

Cheng also claimed that WiMAX will not fail during calamities - making it more useful in the disaster-prone world we live in now.

“Consider the recent disasters and tragedies in Japan,” he noted. “Almost all of the broadband wireless services failed or minimally functioned, but not WiMAX. It was the only network able to deliver uninterrupted service to its customers when needed at the most critical time.”

In the vertical market, WiMAX is a cost efficient solution, Sheng-Ching added.

To consider one of the best examples is the joint effort among the MOEA, Industrial Technology Research Institute, infolink, Sunny Technology, Oriental Institute of Technology and Taiwan Power Research Institute to deploy the new SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) remote control system.

The system transmits in real-time the visual and water quality data information of individual dams back to the monitor and control centre from various remote locations simultaneously.

At the end of this year, WiMAX services will be provided on Taiwan’s high-speed rail trains. During tests, WiMAX successfully demonstrated the world’s first broadband internet access through mobile WiMAX on a high-speed train travelling at speeds of 250 to 300 kilometers per hour.
With its telecommunications networks among world’s most advanced, Taiwan has long been concentrating on technology making the country now a leading high-tech centre in Asia Pacific. Undoubtedly, it has been very progressive in its efforts to liberalise the WiMAX technologies.

For Taiwan, WiMAX has been helping the government to serve the citizens with daily convenience and equal digital opportunities. While many governments might have other practical concerns regarding wireless broadband standards, they could certainly learn a lot from the entrepreneurial spirit and practical innovations Taiwan has demonstrated in riding on the WiMAX bandwagon.