Aircel to Deploy WiMAX Networks in India Using Alvarion's BreezeMAX Platform

Alvarion announced that Aircel Business Solutions, a subsidiary of the Indian cellular service provider Aircel, is expanding its current network and planning to use BreezeMAX 3300 to deploy WiMAX networks across 50 cities in northern and eastern India.

Aircel currently has deployments in eight cities and is using BreezeMAX to overlay and expand its current broadband and cellular network infrastructure to offer affordable broadband data services to small and medium enterprise customers. Alvarion's BreezeMAX 3300 is an extension of its WiMAX platform operating in 3.3GHz, the frequency band specifically licensed for WiMAX services in India.

"We conducted extensive technological, commercial and operational research before selecting Alvarion's BreezeMAX as the best WiMAX system for providing broadband services," said Mr. Jagdish Kini, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aircel. "We have pioneered India's wireless revolution by offering WiMAX along with a host of innovative enterprise services using BreezeMAX's built-in support for service level agreements. We look forward to continuing to work with Alvarion as we expand our WiMAX offerings across India."

BreezeMAX is Alvarion's WiMAX Certified platform designed from the ground up according to the IEEE 802.16 standards and uses OFDM technology for advanced non-line-of-sight functionality. Its design supports broadband speeds and quality of service enabling carriers to offer triple play broadband services to thousands of subscribers in a single base station.

"Aircel is one of several WiMAX customers we have in APAC, a region identified long ago as having great potential for WiMAX due to its insatiable demand for broadband and general lack of infrastructure," said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion. "Leveraging our widely deployed BreezeMAX system and deep technical capabilities, we were able to quickly and cost-effectively offer a WiMAX product in the specific spectrum available in India. We are very excited to help close the digital divide in such a large and important emerging market."