Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by VTEL Holding to design, deploy and maintain the first commercial WiMAX 802.16e-2005 (Rev-e) network in Georgia. VTEL Georgia, a greenfield operator plans to launch the new WiMAX services under the brand MAXIMALI in major cities by September 2008. The company plans to continue its investments during the following years to cover the other parts of the country.

Under the terms of the turnkey contract Alcatel-Lucent will supply a comprehensive infrastructure solution, including WiMAX Rev-e radio access – base stations, wireless access controllers, and operations and maintenance center (OMC). The core IP network will be based on Alcatel-Lucent Service Router family. Alcatel-Lucent will also provide the 9500 Microwave Cross Connect (MXC) system to support the backhaul requirements for the network, as well as network- planning and engineering, integration optimization and commissioning services.

“VTEL Georgia LLC is pioneering the introduction of WiMAX services in the region. Since January 2008, VTEL Georgia has been running a WiMAX trial with a limited number of customers in Tbilisi and Batumi. The objective of the trial is to demonstrate the effectiveness of WIMAX technology,” said Mr. Khaled Rifai, Chief Technical Officer of VTEL Holdings. “WiMAX technology is an ideal solution for building broadband data and voice services in Georgia, addressing the country’s needs for developing the telecom infrastructure while overcoming the geographical challenges. We selected Alcatel-Lucent because the company has demonstrated its leadership in this domain and its commitment to help operators meet the unique needs of their subscribers.”

No financial details were provided.

Source:cellular-news