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Cambodia Data Communication Selects SOMA Networks to Provide First Nationwide Broadband Wireless InfrastructureSINGAPORE & SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Jan. 12, 2006 -- Cambodia Data Communication Co. Ltd., (CDC), a joint venture between Anana Computers and MediaRing Ltd, and SOMA Networks, Inc., a leading provider of last-mile broadband wireless access technology, today announced an agreement to deliver broadband services across Cambodia using SOMA Networks' last-mile wireless access system. Through this partnership with SOMA Networks, CDC aims to quickly establish a nationwide broadband infrastructure to meet the growing demand for broadband connectivity and innovative applications throughout Cambodia. This move by CDC, which holds an ISP license issued by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Cambodia (MPTC), follows its September 2005 partnership announcement with MediaRing. With a population of approximately 15 million people, Cambodia has a relatively low telecommunications penetration rate and only a handful of carriers authorized to provide Internet services. Headquartered in Phnom Penh, CDC, under the registered branding of AngkorNet.com, intends to increase its national footprint by becoming the first ISP to offer tiered and bundled packages of high-speed Internet access and other data applications, all powered by SOMA's SoftAir(TM) wireless system. The first phase of the project will focus on the capital city of Phnom Penh before expanding to other major cities in Cambodia in 2006. "Through the deployment of SOMA's advanced broadband wireless access system, CDC will be strategically positioned to leverage advanced technology to decrease the digital divide and spark growth for the nation," said Ms. Channda Sok, Managing Director of CDC. "Considering the country's historical challenges to deploy effective telecommunications infrastructure with traditional wired technologies, we knew we had to deploy a solution that would allow us to take advantage of the latest advances in wireless and IP technologies. The superior coverage and quality of SOMA's fully converged IP system convinced us that this is the right choice for a standards-based infrastructure that is cost-effective and easy to deploy. We are now strongly positioned to meet the rapidly growing demand for connectivity in Cambodia." "CDC is capitalizing on the large broadband market opportunity in Cambodia by taking proactive steps to quickly deliver the services their customers require," said Greg Caltabiano, President and Chief Operating Officer of SOMA Networks. "SOMA Networks has developed a wireless broadband solution that overcomes the physical and economic limitations of other systems, offering service providers a highly profitable business case. Our partnership with CDC is yet another proof point of the viability of the SOMA solution to solve the last-mile issue in countries that are experiencing a growing demand for broadband connectivity and an historical shortage of access." SOMA Networks' SoftAir wireless systems are enabling service providers around the world to implement standards-based solutions that meet their business case requirements. In Southeast Asia, SOMA has been the preferred choice of Malaysian-based JARING, and has conducted a series of trials with other service providers in the region. Elsewhere, caymanone recently selected the SoftAir robust network infrastructure to deliver affordable and reliable high-speed broadband and application services across the Cayman Islands. About CDC CDC is a joint venture between MediaRing Ltd, the leading pure-play VoIP telephony service provider in Asia, and Cambodia-based Anana Computers. Located in Phnom Penh, CDC holds a ISP license from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Cambodia (MPTC) and, through AngkorNet, is one of only a handful of carriers authorized to provide Internet services in Cambodia. About MediaRing With offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Sunnyvale (USA), MediaRing is the leading VoIP telephony service provider in Asia and enjoys a significant share of the global pure-play VoIP market. Through its strong technological capabilities and extensive distribution network, MediaRing brings high-quality voice services to carriers, enterprises, service providers, and consumers with its wide range of service offerings. Its extensive partnerships with carriers around the world allow call terminations in more than 240 countries worldwide. As a pioneer in VoIP services with unique proprietary technology, MediaRing derives more than 90 percent of its revenue from outside Singapore. MediaRing recently announced that it has entered into a placement agreement worth US$24.1m with Venture One Finance Limited. Venture One Finance Limited subscribed up to an aggregate of 150.33million new shares which represented approximately 20% of the capital of MediaRing. Venture One is a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. About SOMA Networks Integrating the latest advances in wireless broadband, distributed computing, and Internet technologies, SOMA Networks offers the industry's leading "last-mile" wireless broadband system. With SOMA's SoftAir(TM) wireless system, service providers can quickly and profitably roll out a feature-rich package of broadband Internet access and primary-line voice service to the residential and small-office market. Key advantages include its large cell size for quick and inexpensive market entry, multi-megabit data rates, superior voice capabilities, non-line-of-sight access enabling self-installation of the SOMAport(TM) wireless broadband gateway, subscriber self-activation of services, and the ability to support both WiMAX and HSDPA on a common platform. SOMA Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum(TM). For more information, please visit: http://www.somanetworks.com. |
