Xie Linzhen, a standing commissioner from the Communications Technology Commission of the Ministry of Information Industry, has disclosed in a public speech in Japan that Beijing is pressing on a wireless network construction to meet the 2008 Olympic Games.
Xie says before the second quarter of 2008, there will be 9000 WLAN hotspots and 150 WiMax base stations in Beijing, covering 90% of the city's main avenues. Xie adds that audio communications and low speed data communications will use the TD-SCDMA network and high speed data services will adopt WLAN and WiMax.
Zhang Yongqi, vice president of Chinacomm, a company that has been mentioned by Xie as one of the builders of the Beijing wireless network, says that WiMax which involves a higher cost, will only be used to complement TD and to serve corporate clients.
At present, there are already 15 WiMAX base stations in Beijing's Xuanwu District to serve the local environmental protection department.