Motorola Inc will deploy its TD-LTE showcase network at the Shanghai Expo next month and is considering bringing it to the Taipei Flora Expo in November to give visitors a glimpse of the newest mobile broadband technology.
China’s Huawei Technologies (華為技術), have joined Motorola in deploying the TD-LTE network at the Expo Center in Shanghai.
Huawei will handle outdoor coverage at the Shanghai Expo, while Motorola will manage indoor coverage at certain pavilions, Mohammad Akhtar, corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola’s networks business in the Asia-Pacific, told the Taipei Times yesterday.
Motorola will provide USB devices so that users can connect their computers and experience the latest fourth-generation (4G) mobile standard.
Video demos will also be streamed using the technology, he said.
FLORA EXPO
The company said it would deploy a similar network at the Taipei International Flora Expo — the first world expo organized by the Taipei City Government — if local operators were interested in cooperating with Motorola.
Two 4G mobile broadband standards — WiMAX and TD-LTE — are vying for the market.
China Mobile Ltd (中國移動), the world’s largest telecoms operator by subscribers, has plans to adopt TD-LTE as its 4G solution. Taiwan has chosen WiMAX, with six operators launching related services early this year.
Motorola provides solutions for both WiMAX and TD-LTE and has worked with three operators in Taiwan for WiMAX deployment.
“There is space for each technology in different countries,” Akhtar said, adding that both have their advantages, such as high-speed mobility or faster numeric data transmission.
Countries will select their 4G solution based on need and the readiness of existing broadband infrastructure, he said.
Despite an aggressive push by WiMAX operators for service subscription in Taiwan, problems still loom as there are too many operators in the small market, a lack of WiMAX-supported devices, as well as interoperability issues involved in cross-zone roaming.
MERGERS
Mike Shieh (謝任邦), Motorola Electronics Taiwan Ltd’s president for home and networks mobility business, said mergers among the operators were likely, which would create better synergy in the small market, adding that this would push WiMAX uptake to the next level.
Tatung InfoComm Co (大同電信) denied last month that it was calling for consolidation among the WiMAX players to encourage economy of scale and increase competitiveness.
The company said it was working with different operators to address cross-zone roaming issues.
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