- Taiwanese WiMAX licensee Fitel (First International
Telecom), which has been the sole PHS (Personal Handyphone System) operator in
Taiwan, has signed a deal with Motorola for the procurement of WiMAX base
stations, the China Post reported on January 4. Fitel was previously awarded a
WiMAX license for the northern part of Taiwan and the company said that it has
set up 52 WiMAX base stations in Taipei City. Fitel plans to deploy 45 WiMAX
base stations in Hsinchu City by the end of February 2010 and the company
expects to obtain the operating license issued by the NCC (National Communications
Commission) in March.
- China's Huawei Technologies and India's BSNL
have collaborated on launching a commercial WiMAX network in Ajmer, Rajasthan,
according to a SinoCast Daily Business Beat report on December 30, 2009.
Reportedly the first commercial WiMAX network in India, BSNL's Ajmer network is
based on 802.16e mobile WiMAX solutions provided by Huawei.
- Bayanat Al-Oula, a unit of Saudi Arabian
mobile operator Mobily, has significantly expanded the coverage of its
nationwide WiMAX network, TeleGeography reported on January 4. Bayanat granted
a US$100 million deal to Korea's Samsung in 2009 for deploying the projected
nationwide network. In addition to the ten major regional markets in the
first-phase project, Bayanat's WiMAX network has extended its reach to Mekal, Al
Yamamah, Al Salam, west Uraijaa, Al Rayyan, Zahret Al-Badea, Al Khaleej, Araka
and Al-Maezlia, Al Hazm, Oum Elhamam Al Gharby, Soultanah, Al Aziziyah, Al
Marwah, Al Khalidiya, Zahret Labn, Al Chemissi, Al Dar Albidaa, Al Saada, Al
Swedey, Labn, Shubra, and Al Gharby.