Alvarion (News - Alert) has signed a master supply agreement with Digicel Group, a large mobile operator in the Caribbean. As Alvarion’s strategic partner Digicel will deploy a WiMAX network throughout the Caribbean region in a major initiative over the next few years.

 

Alvarion, along with its OPEN (News - Alert) WiMAX partners, will provide an end-to-end WiMAX (News - Alert) offering based on Alvarion’s Mobile WiMAX solution. The master supply agreement

also includes a comprehensive package of professional services.

 

Mario Assaad, CTO of Digicel Group believes Mobile WiMAX represents a unique opportunity for Digicel to leapfrog current technology to offer a wireless full service portfolio as an attractive alternative to the existing operators’ offerings.

 

Noting that businesses and consumers are looking for an alternative wireless solution, Assaad said that, based on a successful Grand Cayman deployment and Digicel’s experience with the high throughput and quality of service of Alvarion’s WiMAX solutions, he believes Alvarion is the best choice for enabling Digicel to provide advanced services to customers.

 

Digicel Group picked Alvarion following a successful commercial deployment of its 802.16e solution in Grand Cayman in 2007. Following the success of the Grand Cayman deployment, Digicel is deploying WiMAX in additional markets to deliver primary voice, data VPN, and broadband to both corporate and residential customers.

 

Digicel decided to deploy Mobile WiMAX as its next-generation broadband technology because of its ability to emulate traditional fixed-line services, as well as to enable personal mobile broadband services, using a wide variety of innovative end user devices.

 

According to Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion, Digicel is as an example of a highly capable customer leveraging its assets for expanding service offerings and achieving growth, while providing advanced and unique services to its customers. He explained that after extensive and rigorous testing among major WiMAX telecom equipment manufacturers, Alvarion was selected to offer Primary Broadband as an alternative for the local incumbent, followed by Personal Broadband as the natural expansion for cellular businesses.

 

Building on the successful deployment in 2007, Alvarion looks forward to helping this valued customer meet the unique service requirements of its millions of subscribers throughout the Caribbean.

 

Alvarion is demonstrating its joint Mobile WiMAX solution — tailored to the unique needs of the Japanese market —Hitachi Communication Technologies at CTIA (News - Alert) Wireless this week.