Taiwan: World's largest WLAN network flops
The world's largest WLAN network in Taiwan's capital Taipei is lacking customers. Since the end of 2005, operator Q-Ware has only been able to attract 20,000 subscribers to its network called WiFly, with a further 10,000 using prepaid offers, as reported by Netzwoche.
The world's largest WLAN network in Taiwan's capital Taipei is lacking customers. Since the end of 2005, operator Q-Ware has only been able to attract 20,000 subscribers to its network called WiFly, with a further 10,000 using prepaid offers, as reported by Netzwoche. The company is therefore falling far short of its expectations: it originally expected 250,000 regular users. At least 200,000 customers would be needed for the network to operate loss-free. Q-Ware has invested 30 million US dollars in the project so far. The network with over 4,200 hotspots covers 90 percent of Taipei's 2.6 million inhabitants. The infrastructure was supplied by a consortium comprising Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Cisco and Microsoft.
The main reasons for the lack of interest are the many alternative and free hotspots that are also available in Taipei and the limited bandwidth. The network offers download rates of around 500 kilobits, but is soon to be increased to one megabit per second. Q-Ware also wants to add services and content such as VoIP or video applications to its offering in order to attract customers. In similar WLAN projects in the USA, the operators rely on income from advertising or public co-financing.
The main reasons for the lack of interest are the many alternative and free hotspots that are also available in Taipei and the limited bandwidth. The network offers download rates of around 500 kilobits, but is soon to be increased to one megabit per second. Q-Ware also wants to add services and content such as VoIP or video applications to its offering in order to attract customers. In similar WLAN projects in the USA, the operators rely on income from advertising or public co-financing.
