Intel and Taiwan government may announce WiMAX joint venture in early June, say sources

The Taiwan government-operated National Development Fund and Intel may jointly announce the formation of a long-awaited WiMAX joint venture during or around Computex Taipei in June, according to market sources.

The government and Intel have been discussing the establishment of the joint venture since the chip giant signed an MOU with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to jointly invest and develop the WiMAX industry in April 2008.

The planned WiMAX joint venture will perform as a system integrator (SI), focusing on the integration of WiMAX equipment and devices and exporting WiMAX networks on a turn-key basis, according to Tu Chi-chun, director general of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the MOEA.

Some WiMAX operators from emerging markets in Asia have already approached related government agencies and WiMAX equipment makers in Taiwan for cooperation to develop WiMAX operations, Tu indicated.

The announcement of the joint venture will be crucial to the development of the WiMAX industry in Taiwan in the future, commented industry watchers.