Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will use Agilent’s (News - Alert) E6474A wireless network test platform for its M-Taiwan WiMAX Applications Lab (MTWAL), a WiMAX (News - Alert) Forum Applications Lab.

 

Mobile WiMAX is a high-performance mobile communication network, and telecommunications operators around the world are aggressively deploying WiMAX systems.

 

 “We are excited to include Agilent’s E6474A wireless network test platform to ensure that the quality of service information is monitored in our WiMAX system deployment and operations,” said Dr. Ching-Tarng Hsieh, engineering director of the information and communications laboratories at ITRI, and director of the WiMAX Forum (News - Alert) Taiwan office, in a statement.

 

“WiMAX technology and services will play an important role in ensuring that consumers have access to broadband services in this region.”

 

The six operators in Taiwan that won WiMAX operating licenses last year are expected to roll out their networks and provide commercial services in the second half of 2008.

ITRI will use Agilent’s WiMAX test systems to enable this rollout of networks and services.

 

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (News - Alert) is a non-profit R&D organization in Taiwan. ITRI was founded in 1973 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan, to develop globally competitive and forward-looking technologies to meet industrial needs, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and enhance the economic growth of Taiwan.

 

“ITRI is a research pioneer in Taiwan’s communications industry,” said I-Lung Shen, general manager, Agilent’s electronic measurements group, Taiwan. “We are honored to collaborate with ITRI to promote research on the deployment of the Mobile WiMAX network in Taiwan.”

 

Agilent Technologies is a premier measurement company and a major technology player in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis.

 

The company’s 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.4 billion in fiscal 2007.

 

Recently, Kineto Wireless (News - Alert), the key innovator and a supplier of UMA technology, and Agilent Technologies had announced that the companies are collaborating on 3G and 2G UMA/GAN handset testing to bring a comprehensive solution to their customers.

 

As per the pact, the companies will focus on expanding Agilent's 8960 "real world" UMA/GAN test capabilities to provide a full-featured, non-scripting test solution for mobile operators, handset vendors and platform developers in the UMA/GAN market.

 

The first phase of collaboration will result in a robust 3G/2G UMA/GAN development and engineering validation tool that Kineto will showcase at its UMA Labs in Milpitas, California.