The GSM Association is calling on Taiwan to stop developing WiMAX and focus instead on LTE technology.
Said Chris Perera, GSMA director of spectrum policy and regulatory affairs for the Asia-Pacific region: "Although local demand will drive the WiMAX market, given the smaller market size in terms of lower demand, it is in Taiwan's best interest to focus on the manufacturing of HSPA wireless networking and LTE equipment, rather than WiMAX equipment."
Taiwan's goal all along has been to be the largest exporter of WiMAX products.
But Intel shut its WiMAX Program office in Taiwan down last year, and since then, the Taiwanese government had feared Intel was waning in its support for WiMAX altogether. Intel CEO Paul Otellini met with the president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, last fall to give his assurances that Intel is still committed to making WiMAX chips.
The government has invested hundreds of millions in related technologies and applications for WiMAX, and a significant amount of that money went into Intel's Taiwan efforts.
For more:
- see this goingWiMAX.com article
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