Mike Masnik of Tech Dirt says;
Back in October, we wrote about plans in Taiwan to cover the entire island in WiFi. It looks like they’re trying to get that project moving, but it’s changed a bit, such that they’re now promoting how it will be a “dual network” offering both WiFi and GPRS.GPRS? Yes, the slow, problematic 2.5G solution (the article mistakenly calls it 3G) that is going to be obsolete long before any such network is built.
…If WiFi really is going to be spread across the island, why have the “dual” system? The most obvious answer is for voice calls over mobile phones, but given a WiFi network, it’s probably cheaper and better to go with a VoWiFi phone. While there aren’t that many now, they’ll be coming — especially if the broad WiFi networks are there.
Another possibility is that Taiwan may be realizing that covering the entire island in WiFi isn’t really practical and it may face technical hurdles from installing so many base stations — in which case the GPRS system becomes more or less a “backup network.”
One of the first practical applications for WiMax is going to be cellular backhaul. Broadband wireless company Alvarion, which is partnering with Intel, appears to be getting ready. They bought InterWave, a maker of compact cellular base stations for micro cell gear. Their GSM or CDMA cellular electronics fit in a small, PC-like box.
Makes sense. Cellular companies could save big bucks by eliminating landline backhaul.
Taipei plans to make wireless internet access available everywhere by the end of 2005.
Some 10,000 wireless access points will cover 272 square kilometres where 90 percent of Taipei’s 2.65 million people live. Q-Ware will operate the network and Aptilo s solution will, among other things, be used to administer and provision users, monitoring and reporting.
HP will work with Intel, Microsoft and Cisco Systems to implement the “M-City” project. Q-Ware Corp, the winner of the M-City BOT project, plans to invest US$70 million in the next eight years for infrastructure construction. Aptilo Networks will supply the management platform for Taipei City’s huge WiFi cloud.
In phase one, some 30 transit stations in northern Taipei will be will be the epicenters of the wireless broadband network by the end of 2004. In phase two of the anticipated plan, 50 percent of Taipei households will have wireless coverage by June of 2005. Finally phase three of the plan will be targeted for December of 2005, as wireless access will eventually be available for 90 percent of Taipei households.
During the course of the selection process, integration and interoperability has been successfully completed with Nortel’s Wireless Mesh Network Solution which will be used in Taipei for the Wireless Infrastructure.
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