Global Mobile hedging its bets; to pick WiMAX equipment supplier with LTE expertise

Taiwan WiMAX licensee Global Mobile is likely to select Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) or Huawei Technologies as the equipment supplier for its WiMAX network by the end of February, according to company sources.

The main reason Global Mobile is choosing to go with one of the two is that both are engaging in the development of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology, in addition to WiMAX, according to sources at Taiwan telecom service providers.

Selecting an equipment supplier that is able to offer network systems and products compatible both WiMAX and LTE standards would allow Global Mobile to easily migrate from one system to the other if there is a large shift in 4G technology or market demand, said sources at the company.

Although both WiMAX and LTE standards are evolved from OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) technology, development and standards setting for LTE still lags 3-5 years behind that of WiMAX, noted market sources.

Even so, development of LTE has been gaining momentum recently, and most major telecom equipment suppliers now regard LTE-enabled equipment and products is an indispensable part of their product mix, contended the sources.