Taipei taxis to soon offer wireless Web services

VMAX Telecom Co. will officially launch the Internet service March 9, the company's spokesman said, adding that more than 500 taxis have already been fitted with the wireless device.

"For the first time ever, taxis will be equipped with WiMAX technology to offer passengers wireless access to the Internet, " the spokesman told CNA in a telephone interview.

"The service will be free of charge to passengers in the initial stage, and we will assess whether to charge a fee in the future, " the spokesman added.

The wireless service will also include access to online polls, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily.

VMAX Telecom, one of Taiwan's six WiMAX licensed operators, has projected that the online polls in the 1,000 taxis will survey at least 15,000 people a day, based on an average estimate of 15 passengers per day per cab, the report stated.

This will represent a much larger sampling than the average 2,000 poll respondents, the company's president and chief executive Peddy Huang was quoted as saying in the report.

The company said its service will be limited to the greater Taipei area, as its WiMAX coverage does not extend beyond northern Taiwan.

Over 58,000 taxis serve 1.4 million people a day in the greater Taipei area, with each trip averaging 20 to 30 minutes, the report said.

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