Alvarion has announced its selection by leading Kenyan mobile services provider Safaricom for a three-year turnkey WiMAX project to deploy high-speed broadband services throughout Kenya. Using Alvarion’s BreezeMAX solution at 3.5 GHz frequency band, the WiMAX network will enable wireless broadband for residential and corporate users, rural areas, municipalities, banks, schools and universities.
Safaricom, the largest mobile carrier in Kenya and East Africa, provides integrated data and voice communication solutions. The Safaricom WiMAX project will augment the Kenyan undersea fiber optic cable that now connects East Africa to international communications networks. The buildout of this fiber network is aimed at improving the broadband infrastructure in the country. Safaricom is also among several companies participating in this government initiative to bring fiber connectivity to Kenya.
With the commercial implementation of WiMAX, Safaricom will be able to expand into new markets and offer enhanced broadband wireless services to enterprises, residential subscribers, community broadband initiatives, local government connectivity, and a multitude of other value added applications. Alvarion’s WiMAX solution will give Safaricom the reach and network capacity to grow its subscriber base by connecting all of Kenya. Alvarion’s radio base stations are built with innovations in radios and power amplifiers that enable better coverage and capacity and provide significant reduction in power consumption while creating an environmentally friendly network.
“Our new WiMAX broadband network will enable us to offer high quality broadband services to our customers throughout the country, connecting all of Kenya, and creating new opportunities for business growth for multiple segments,” says Michael Joseph, CEO of Safaricom. “We will rely on Alvarion’s proven WiMAX solutions and unparalleled experience in deploying advanced wireless broadband networks of this kind to help us build the network that will establish Safaricom as a broadband leader in the country.”
Safaricom’s WiMAX network will be rolled out in both urban and rural markets throughout the country to provide equal opportunity to people by enabling various types of data applications including e-learning and e-government initiatives. “We are proud to partner with Safaricom, one of the most advanced and innovative operators in East Africa. We look forward to creating a state of the art network with Safaricom to bring new innovative services to Kenya,” says Tzvika Friedman, President and CEO of Alvarion. “Our WiMAX solutions are customised for emerging markets with capabilities that can help reduce operating costs and boost network capacity, and help deliver advanced voice and data services for a variety of applications.”
Alvarion has a strong presence in Africa and has deployed over 60 WiMAX networkson the continent.
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