NextNet and Eutel Partner to Deliver the First NLOS MMDS Broadband Wireless Services in the Caribbean
Time-Proven Expedience™ Business Case and Reliable Licensed Channels Provide Winning Combination for Caribbean Expansion
Minneapolis, MN USA and St. Eustatius, Netherlands Antilles - June 3, 2003 -- NextNet Wireless, the industry's most widely deployed provider of non line-of-sight (NLOS) broadband wireless access systems, and telecommunications provider Eutel Communications, announced today that they have signed a contract to deliver the first NLOS broadband wireless services over licensed MMDS (2.5-2.686 GHz) channels in the Caribbean. Eutel will commence broadband wireless service in August 2003, to business and residential subscribers in St. Eustatius, one of the three Windward Island groups in the Netherlands Antilles. Eutel plans to work with other wireless operators in the Dutch Antilles to expand and develop NLOS mobile broadband wireless networks across the Caribbean.
"We selected NextNet because they have succeeded in the greatest number of NLOS markets in the industry today," stated Gerald Berkel, Eutel Managing Director. "We wanted to partner with the industry leader in order to provide a solid foundation for future network expansion across the Caribbean. We are impressed with the portability, mobility and scalability features of the Expedience™ system, and simply amazed by the advanced fully integrated base station technology. NextNet's portability and mobility features allow us to expand our Internet service out into the harbor, delivering easy access to the many tourist yachts that frequent our shores, truly making St. Eustatius the Golden Rock of the Caribbean," Berkel stated. "No other vendor or platform offered us so many system and product features, backed by time-proven reliability. Deploying this platform will allow us to revolutionize high speed Internet access in the Caribbean region," Berkel added.
"It is my pleasure to partner with Eutel to deliver the first MMDS non-line-of-sight broadband wireless services in the Caribbean," stated Guy Kelnhofer, NextNet CEO. "On behalf of everyone at NextNet, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Eutel, the local government, and the people of St. Eustatius. We look forward to working together to commence service this summer, and also to partnering with other wireless carriers in the surrounding islands to expand the MMDS network across the Caribbean in the near future," Kelnhofer added.
NextNet's Expedience™ NLOS broadband wireless system is an IP-based network that supports mobile delivery of broadband applications. Today, this broadband mobility is being employed at actual speeds of over 120 kilometers per hour in Mexico City, and simulated at speeds of up to 175 kilometers per hour, with absolutely no performance degradation.
The Expedience system is currently deployed in cities throughout Asia, Africa, North America, Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean. NextNet provides wireless carriers with proven superiority in the critical areas of coverage, capacity and capital cost, allowing for rapid penetration into the untapped business and residential markets. The company's flexible OFDM-based platform delivers consistent broadband speeds across NLOS cell radiuses of up to 30 km, using indoor, plug-and-play (self-installable) subscriber units, as well as convenient outdoor (bracket-mount) NLOS subscriber units. The flexible Expedience™ base station weighs just 16 kg, and mounts easily to a pole, tower, building rooftop or standard indoor rack.
For more information on NextNet commercial installations in urban, suburban and rural locations, please contact sales@nextnetwireless.com
About Eutel
Eutel N.V., founded in 1983, is a government owned company whose purpose it is to provide telecommunication services to the people of the island. This service primarily consisted of POTS until quite recently. As a result of a change in managing philosophy and responding to the demands of an ever technologically advancing market, Eutel has adopted its business plan to meet the many requests for modern telecommunication services. High speed Internet access, a key component of this business plan, not only allows Eutel to meet the need of our residential and business clients for this service, but also allows Eutel to facilitate distance learning and distance medical service where not available before, catapulting St.Eustatius to the forefront in technology among service providers in the Caribbean. Contact: Gerald Berkel tel: 599-318-2210; fax: 599-318-2202; address: Vantonningen weg St.Eustatius, Netherlands, Antilles; email: g.berkel@uts.an.
About NextNet™ Wireless, Inc.
NextNet Wireless is the industry's most widely deployed provider of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) plug-and-play broadband wireless access systems. NextNet's OFDM-based Expedience™ system provides telecommunications carriers with turnkey solutions for rapid, low-cost deployment of high-speed, two-way voice and data services over the "last mile" of the communications network. The Expedience system is deployed in over 20 markets globally, including the world's largest NLOS plug-and-play deployment in Mexico, covering 70 million potential business and residential subscribers nationwide.
NextNet is the recipient of seven industry technical awards for delivering NLOS service to under-served urban, suburban and rural markets. NextNet's primary investors include DCM-Doll Capital Management, Enterasys (NYSE: ETS) (formerly Cabletron Systems), Globespan Capital Partners, Green Ventures, Star Ventures andothers. Contact: Barbara Heine, Director, Marketing Communications; heineb@nextnetwireless.com;Tel: 952-967-1116; Fax: 952-929-4080 or visit www.nextnetwireless.com.
