Japan’s Okinawa Telemessage, a broadband access service provider has launched a WiMAX Network using Airspan solutions. Beginning with Nanjo City, Okinawa Telemessage will provide more than 500,000 households in Okinawa Prefecture with high-speed broadband access. Operating in the 4.95 GHz frequency band, the WiMAX network deployment is well underway and, upon completion, will consist of more than two hundred Airspan base stations spread over Okinawa Island.
This project benefitted from Japan’s government broadband policy. The government’s ‘u-Japan’ broadband strategy provides for money or tax incentives to cities to deploy broadband with the hopes of completing full broadband coverage to the entire nation by 2010. Nanjo City provided Okinawa Telemessage with roof-top property for placement of base stations, as well as city-owned fiber optic backhauling. // more
