Vietnam takes a wireless leap with Motorola wi4 WiMAX

Motorola, Inc. and Vietnam Datacommunications Company (VDC), a company within the state-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) have 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. 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 leapfrog current wired technologies so that a larger population in Vietnam‘s rapidly growing market can be connected quickly and affordably,” he noted.

WiMAX is part of Motorola’s MOTOwi4 comprehensive portfolio of wireless broadband solutions and services that deliver and extend coverage.

With this unique portfolio comes an innovative end-to-end solution. Delivering IP coverage to virtually all spaces, MOTOwi4 also includes fixed, mesh, and indoor solutions for private and public networks. All of the MOTOwi4 solutions complement each other and can be deployed to meet the specific requirements for public and private networks.

Motorola has been selected by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire in the US, Wateen in Pakistan, and Agni in Bangladesh for nationwide WiMAX deployments with several multiple trials happening around the Asia Pacific region.