Oct. 26, 2009 (Business Wire) -- Clearwire International LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation, Tatung InfoComm and VMAX today publicly demonstrated the first Mobile WiMAX™ global roaming at the WiMAX Forum Member Conference in Taipei this week. The conference also highlighted the strength of the WiMAX ecosystem in Taipei, including the anticipated commercial rollout of six WiMAX networks in Taiwan by Q1 2010.

The WiMAX Forum Taiwan Office, with participating WiMAX ecosystem partners Samsung, Futureinfonet, Alcatel-Lucent, and Bridgewater Systems, hosted live roaming demonstrations in Taipei. The demonstrations featured a roaming WiMAX user with commercially available Mobile 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 was also featured as international roaming is a key feature of WiMAX as a global technology. This pioneering end-to-end WiMAX roaming demonstration illustrates the interoperability of WiMAX equipment and the availability and readiness of international roaming on WiMAX networks.

“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 (WRX) enable roaming between WiMAX operators allowing quicker implementation of roaming services, faster time to market for new operators and lower capital expenditures. In the case of Taiwan, the WiMAX Forum Taiwan Office initiated roaming trials while working closely with Aicent, a participating WRX, to coordinate and enable WiMAX roaming trials among universities, research institutes and several WiMAX operators globally. To date, the global roaming trials team has accomplished successful roaming trials domestically within Taiwan and internationally from the United States to Taiwan.

Taiwan grows its substantial WiMAX ecosystem

According to The Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwanese WiMAX CPE shipments will reach up to 2.72 million units by the end of 2009, a 196% increase over the previous year with value of the output reaching NT$8 Billion. The organization also estimates that the demand for WiMAX products will increase Taiwanese WiMAX CPE shipments to six million units and NT$23 Billion in 2010.