NEC sets up WiMax R&D center in Taiwan

NEC has set-up a WiMax R&D center in Taiwan recently. The center is
designated to be an interoperability test (IOT) center for WiMax systems R&D.
Local Taiwanese IT companies like Tatung, Quanta, Accton, D-Link etc. are very
positive about the benefits this new installation will bring to the domestic
WiMax development and have expressed their support.

As per a NEC statement, at the initial stage, NEC plans to invest NT$20
million into the WiMax research center, which has about five to six employees.
With the enlargement of research facilities at later stages, the research staff
will increase to 20 to 40 people, and the investment sum will also go up higher.
The initial stage mainly involves the interoperability test between local
Taiwanese customer-premises equipments (CPE) suppliers and the NEC WiMax system:
PasoWings. Later on, it will gradually become a WiMax systems R&D center.

Tatung, a local Taiwanese company and NEC had set-up a joint venture company
a few years ago, and are cooperating on the M-Taiwan Project-a project run by
the Taiwanese government to promote the creation of an advanced information
society and encourage the growth of the domestic ICT industry. The National
Communica-tions Commission (NCC) handed out six market licenses for WiMax
services last year, and Tatung has acquired the license to operate a WiMax
network in southern Taiwan. As the main equipment supplier for Tatung, NEC has
obtained from Tatung the rights to set-up WiMax base stations according to the
M-Taiwan Project, making NEC a player in the local WiMax market.

The statement further said that due to the global market demand for faster
broadband networks, WiMax with its stable and fast network capability has become
one of the hottest ICT topics this year. The Taiwanese government places much
importance on WiMax and is therefore constantly seeking cooperative
opportunities with overseas ICT companies to further develop domestic WiMax
technologies and to promote the M-Taiwan Project. The goal is to transform
Taiwan into the leading market place for global WiMax applications and
technological development. In line

with the governments aim, NEC expects that with the establishment of the WiMax
R&D center, it can promote the growth of WiMax customer-premises equipments (CPE)
and uses its experiences learned in Taiwan on the global market.