Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news

WiMAX Forum, a non-profit corporation that promotes the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products, will set up a chief representative in China to attract more Chinese firms to join it.
Its vice president, Mo Shakouri, spoke yesterday at the ongoing Wireless China Conference & Exposition 2004 in Beijing.  The event, which began Tuesday, will end tomorrow.
WiMAX Forum has decided on their China chief representative, but are keeping the identity confidential, today's Sina.com report said.
ZTE Corporation, China's largest listed telecom equipment supplier, and its key rival Shenzhen Huawei Technologies Co, China's largest telecom equipment manufacturer, have led Chinese companies to become WiMAX Forum member companies.
The second group of three to five firms have submitted applications to the association.  They are still waiting for the nod from the organization.
Mo Shakouri has reportedly held discussions with some domestic telecom companies during the Wireless China 2004 event in an attempt to overcome any misundering about WiMAX technology.
He ensured them that WiMAX will not replace the third-generation telecom technology or the Wi-Fi networks, which use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11b or 802.11a, according to the Sina.com report.  Both technologies are now hot in China.
The three technologies are complementary, he added.
Formed in 2003 by equipment and component suppliers, WiMAX Forum carries the mission to promote the adoption of WiMAX technology compliant equipment by the operators of broadband wireless access systems.
The forum has more than 150 membership firms, including AT&T Corp, Intel Corporation, Nortel Networks Ltd, British Telecom Plc and Motorola Inc.
WiMAX, also known as IEEE 802.16, is a wireless networking standard that can transfer about 70 Megabits per second over a distance of 30 miles.