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Clearwire International LLC, Tatung InfoComm, and VMAX publicly demonstrated Mobile WiMAX global roaming during the WiMAX Forum Member Conference in Taipei last month. The conference also highlighted Taipei’s WiMAX ecosystem, including the anticipated rollout of six WiMAX networks in Taiwan by the first quarter of 2010. 

With Samsung, Futureinfonet, Alcatel-Lucent, and Bridgewater Systems, the WiMAX Forum Taiwan Office hosted the live roaming demonstrations in Taipei. The demonstrations featured a roaming WiMAX user with commercially available WiMAX devices to show how visitors may access a local WiMAX network in Taiwan.

Tatung InfoComm and VMAX demonstrated two-way roaming, which is critical in Taiwan for services between the northern and southern licensees. Roaming from Clearwire International to VMAX and Tatung InfoComm also was featured, as the forum says that international roaming is a key feature of WiMAX as a global technology.

“Global roaming is a critical factor for the success of WiMAX as a leading global broadband wireless technology,” said Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum. “Roaming is important to operators today, as there are more than 500 WiMAX deployments in more than 145 countries and the momentum of WiMAX deployments continues with double-digit deployment adds each month.”

WiMAX roaming exchanges (WRXs) enable roaming between WiMAX operators for quicker implementation of roaming services, faster time-to-market for new operators, and lower capital expenditures. The WiMAX Forum Taiwan Office initiated roaming trials while working closely with Aicent, a participating WRX, to coordinate research and enable trials among universities, research institutes, and WiMAX operators.  

According to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwanese WiMAX customer premise equipment (CPE) shipments will reach 2.72 million units by the end of 2009. That’s a 196% increase over 2008, reaching NT $8 billion. The center also says the demand will increase Taiwanese WiMAX CPE shipments to six million units and NT $23 billion in 2010.