Greece Goes Mobile with WiMAX Broadband Courtesy of Craig Wireless, NortelCCNMatthews writes…Delivery of broadband, media-rich content to mobile users - such as streaming video, Internet access and multimedia - will soon be available across Greece through Craig Wireless’ deployment of a MIMO-enabled mobile (802.16e) WiMAX solution from Nortel(1) (TSX:NT)(NYSE:NT).
Craig Wireless will use its Nortel WiMAX with MIMO - an advanced antenna solution - to deliver cheap, plentiful wireless broadband to underserved rural markets across Greece. This solution will also be used to provide fully mobile Internet at true broadband speeds to laptops, gaming devices and handhelds for customers on the go in metropolitan areas and beyond.
“We laid the foundation for next-generation mobile WiMAX by deploying Nortel’s fixed solution to create the first commercial WiMAX network in Greece delivering “Internet Everywhere” services to people in Athens, Heraklion, Patras, Thessaloniki and beyond,” said Boyd Craig, CEO, Craig Wireless. “Now, we’re moving forward with Nortel’s mobile WiMAX solution to extend service across Greece and provide users in key metropolitan areas with roaming access to high-speed mobile services such as VoIP, Internet browsing, email and data. Nortel’s mobile WiMAX MIMO technology is critical to helping us do this by making the most cost-efficient use of our available spectrum.”
Craig Wireless is committed to delivering rapid WiMAX access in Greece and is basing its rollout plans on being able to rapidly engage the widest range of users from residential, business and service provider market segments through Nortel’s WiMAX solutions.
“The future of the Internet will not be found on an office desktop, but in the hands and homes of our friends and neighbors,” said Richard Lowe, president, Mobility and Converged Core Networks (MCCN), Nortel. “Visionary companies like Craig Wireless recognize that the future is here today, and that connecting people to global information through true wireless broadband is the key to unlocking the world’s social and economic potential. Nortel is proud to be one of the few companies capable of delivering these fourth-generation wireless networks with our industry-leading WiMAX, VoIP, and optical solutions.”
UNI-NORTEL, a joint venture in Greece between Nortel and Unisystems, will provide and install a complete mobile WiMAX solution for Craig Wireless that includes Nortel’s Access Services Network Gateway for handling up to 300 base transceiver stations and managing the handoff of devices from one BTS to another; the Network Management System 5000 for managing the BTSs in the Access Network and the core network elements in the Craig Wireless network architecture, and the Nortel WiMAX Base Transceiver Station for delivering industry-leading performance, capacity and coverage - this unique WiMAX BTS has built-in MIMO capabilities and advanced Radio, Modem and Power Amplifier technology.
“UNI-NORTEL has been able to provide Craig Wireless with world-class technology and experience in delivering the most advanced mobile networking solutions,” adds Kostis Stavropoulos, general manager, UNI-NORTEL. “This new contract for mobile WiMAX demonstrates Craig Wireless’ customer satisfaction and confidence in UNI-NORTEL’s ability to support their continued business development in Greece.”
Nortel is the only WiMAX vendor with products in nearly all mobile technologies currently available across both public and private wireless networks. Nortel owns dozens of patents in the technologies underlying the WiMAX standard, and the Company’s eight years of work in OFDM/MIMO technology has culminated with much of its patented technology being accepted as the basis for the global WiMAX industry standard.
