Motorola and Vietnam Datacommunications Company (VDC), a company within the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) today signed an agreement to commence a technical and commercial WiMAX trial in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s two largest cities.
It is anticipated that the deployment of Motorola’s wi4 WiMAX will allow VDC to reach a wider subscriber base, help meet the demand for broadband, as well as roll out IP services such as VoIP without the need for wired infrastructure.
The year long trial is expected to begin in October 2007. Phase one will cover an urban area in Hanoi and the second phase will cover a similar urban area in Ho Chi Minh City.
“Using WiMAX for wireless broadband access is key to a market such as Vietnam where wired broadband penetration is low,” said Jay Andersen, vice president for sales, South and East Asia, Home and Networks Mobility, Motorola. “It has the potential to enable the country to leap frog current wired technologies so that a larger population in Vietnam’s rapidly growing market can be connected quickly and affordably,” Mr. Andersen noted.
Meanwhile, Proxim Wireless today announced it is working with Sakthi PURA and Proxim partner Microsense to supply India’s rural areas and remote villages in the Pollachi region with wireless broadband. Proxim’s Tsunami MP.11 base stations and subscriber units are being deployed. It will provide tele-education, healthcare, and other information and content.
Last month, Clearwire successfully concluded tests using Motorola’s mobile WiMax, in a 15 mile area in Hillsboro, Oregon. Clearwire said that it tested a mobile WiMax laptop card and that it met industry standards. The company plans to test the service next over a 145 square mile area with multiple users and devices.
According to Barry West, president of Sprint Nextel’s 4G business unit, powerful, reliable, low-operating-cost WiMAX data network could have the same growth-spurring effect as the introduction of cellular technology — as long as the service was affordable and usable.
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