WiMAX to be tested for the first time

Vietnam will see the first testing of WiMAX technology this month in the northern province of Lao Cai. In a joint project between Intel, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the Vietnam Data Communication Company (VDC) and the US Agency for International Development, a base station and 20 hotspots will be installed. VDC director Vu Hoang Lien said that successful completion of the project would help VNPT gain a WiMAX licence. The technology is ideal for the remote mountainous areas of the country where telecoms infrastructure is not yet developed. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, VNPT had a 75% share of Vietnam’s broadband market at the end of June 2006.