7:15 AM -- While the outlook for WiMax in other markets might not be so rosy, the technology is still very much in favor in Malaysia, where newcomer YTL Communications Sdn Bhd has just announced the extension of its network, which will reach 80 percent of the Malay population by the end of 2011, reports The Star. (See YTL, Intel Team for WiMax Devices.)

YTL, which has just launched its commercial services, isn't the only WiMax operator in Malaysia. Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. (P1) launched in 2008, REDtone International Bhd offers its enterprise-focused service in Eastern Malaysia, while AsiaSpace plans to launch a WiMax service called Amax in the near future. (See SK Telecom Takes Stake in WiMax Operator, P1 Expands With ZTE, and P1 to Roll out in East Malaysia.)

WiMax has long been regarded as the technology of choice for competitive ISPs in Malaysia. (See Telekom Malaysia Faces WiMax Challenge.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading