Alcatel-Lucent opens WiMAX interoperability testing center in Taiwan

Alcatel-Lucent on January 14 announced the establishment of its WiMAX application and interoperability testing (IOT) center in Taiwan in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), with an aim to help foster a robust, mature WiMAX ecosystem in Taiwan.

In October 2007, Alcatel-Lucent signed a memorandum of understanding with the MOEA, at the 2007 WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase and Conference in Taipei, in which both parties agreed to jointly promote the development of WiMAX products.

The Taiwan IOT center will provide an end-to-end interoperability testing environment for local companies producing communications equipment. The center also will leverage Alcatel-Lucent's global research and development expertise to help accelerate the development and introduction of a variety of high-speed multimedia applications in Taiwan, Alcatel-Lucent said in a press release.

The center represents a significant development for the advancement of WiMAX globally and is a major step forward for Taiwan's local CPE industry. By providing an environment where device performance can be tested for innovative applications and services, Taiwan-based CPE manufacturers will be encouraged to develop terminal devices that comply with the latest WiMAX standard – 802.16e-2005 – as well as future iterations of the technology. Establishing a testing center in Taiwan will help manufacturers reduce testing costs and time to market, said Alcatel-Lucent.

There is significant market potential for WiMAX in Taiwan, and the IOT Center stands to play a leading role in realizing that potential, according to Tony Chung president of Alcatel-Lucent's business in Taiwan.

With more than 70 pilots and deployments across the world and 18 commercial contracts signed in 2007, Alcatel-Lucent is number one in the worldwide WiMAX market, according to the company. Locally, Taiwan's leading service providers Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) and Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) have both deployed WiMAX 802.16e-2005 networks during the course of 2007 using Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end WiMAX solution, said Alcatel-Lucent.